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Hydropower (from Ancient Greek ὑδρο-, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a water source to produce power. [1] Hydropower is a method of sustainable energy ...
All thermal power plants (coal, natural gas, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass) use water as a cooling fluid to drive the thermodynamic cycles that allow electricity to be extracted from heat energy. Solar uses water for cleaning equipment, while hydroelectricity has water usage from evaporation from the reservoirs.
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity , almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, [ 1 ] which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power . [ 2 ]
Hydroelectric power has been a popular method of energy dating back to the late 19th century. The main advantage of using hydropower is that it is a clean form of energy, otherwise known as "green" energy. Since the process of using waterpower does not require burning fossil fuels, it is more environmentally friendly.
According to that study, hydroelectricity produces the least amount of greenhouse gases and externality of any energy source. [51] Coming in second place was wind, third was nuclear energy, and fourth was solar photovoltaic. [51] The low greenhouse gas impact of hydroelectricity is found especially in temperate climates.
However, there are typically low greenhouse gas emissions with reservoirs, and possibly high emissions in the tropics. Hydroelectric power is the world's largest low carbon source of electricity, supplying 15.6% of total electricity in 2019. [17] China is by far the world's largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world, followed by Brazil ...
In 2020, hydropower supplied 17% of the world's electricity, down from a high of nearly 20% in the mid-to-late 20th century. [80] [81] In conventional hydropower, a reservoir is created behind a dam. Conventional hydropower plants provide a highly flexible, dispatchable electricity supply. They can be combined with wind and solar power to meet ...
The amount of hydroelectric power generated is strongly affected by changes in precipitation and surface runoff. [4] Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 US states. The largest concentration of hydroelectric generation in the US is in the Columbia River basin, which in 2012 was the source of 44% of the nation's hydroelectricity. [5]