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The power plant consists of six reversible turbines that can each generate 312 megawatts of electricity for a total output of 1,872 megawatts. [7] Water is delivered from the upper reservoir to the turbines by six penstocks each 1,100 feet (340 m) long that taper from 28 to 24 feet (8.5 to 7.3 m) in diameter.
In 2021, hydroelectric power produced 31.5% of the total renewable electricity, and 6.3% of the total U.S. electricity. [2] According to the International Hydropower Association, the United States is the 3rd largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world in 2021 after Brazil and China. [3] Total installed capacity for 2020 was 102.8 GW.
Note: The power-generating capacity in megawatts is the usual measure for power station size and reflects the maximum instantaneous output power. The energy storage in gigawatt-hours (GWh) is the capacity to store energy, determined by the size of the upper reservoir, the elevation difference, and the generation efficiency.
As of 2025, plans exist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the construction of a hydroelectric power station set to overtake the Three Gorges, [3] with an installed capacity of 39,000 MW. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] The Project is called Grand Inga and is planned to be realised on the lower Congo River . [ 6 ]
The Chippawa-Queenston Power Canal in 1921; it was the first of three sources to provide water to the Generating Stations. Adam Beck II contains 16 generators and first produced power in 1954. The water was first diverted from the Niagara River by two five-mile (8 km) tunnels under the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, that start above the falls. [4]
Power generation can also be decreased quickly when there is a surplus power generation. [39] Hence the limited capacity of hydropower units is not generally used to produce base power except for vacating the flood pool or meeting downstream needs. [40] Instead, it can serve as backup for non-hydro generators. [39]
The Hoover Dam in Arizona and Nevada was the first hydroelectric power station in the United States to have a capacity of at least 1,000 MW upon completion in 1936. Since then numerous other hydroelectric power stations have surpassed the 1,000 MW threshold, most often through the expansion of existing hydroelectric facilities.
Some hydropower systems such as water wheels can draw power from the flow of a body of water without necessarily changing its height. In this case, the available power is the kinetic energy of the flowing water. Over-shot water wheels can efficiently capture both types of energy. [7] The flow in a stream can vary widely from season to season.