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Hydropower is now used principally for hydroelectric power generation, and is also applied as one half of an energy storage system known as pumped-storage hydroelectricity. Hydropower is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels as it does not directly produce carbon dioxide or other atmospheric pollutants and it provides a relatively ...
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.
However many run-of-the-river hydro power plants are micro hydro or pico hydro plants. Much hydropower is flexible, thus complementing wind and solar, as it not intermittent. [92] In 2021, the world renewable hydropower capacity was 1,360 GW. [73] Only a third of the world's estimated hydroelectric potential of 14,000 TWh/year has been developed.
Overall, hydroelectric power can be far less expensive than electricity generated from fossil fuels or nuclear energy, and areas with abundant hydroelectric power attract industry. In Canada it's estimated there are 160,000 megawatts of undeveloped hydro potential.
Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produces from 5 kW to 100 kW of electricity using the natural flow of water. Installations below 5 kW are called pico hydro . [ 1 ] These installations can provide power to an isolated home or small community, or are sometimes connected to electric power networks, particularly where ...
In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity [78] [page needed] and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the following 25 years. Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region generating 32 percent of global hydropower in 2010.
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 and Canada.