A Primer To Hydropower

Electricity produced by exploiting the energy of flowing water is known as hydropower.

A renewable source of energy, it accounts for almost 20% of the electricity generated in the world. In fact, six percent of the total electricity used by the United States in 2013 came from hydropower! This is undoubtedly a major source of power, whose importance we cannot afford to underestimate.

A report by the US Geological Survey's Water Science School states that about 66% of its economically viable potential worldwide are yet to be tapped. Many hydro resources are available in Latin America, China, Central Africa, and India that have not yet been harnessed!

Also, only a few dams in the US are being used to generate electricity, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Although hydropower has been used by earliest civilizations, we have been only able to appreciate its value now because of its sustainability.

Here is a look at the brief history hydropower and some basic facts.

In 1879, the first hydroelectric power facility was constructed at Niagara Falls, but the first plant in the world to generate power was located in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1882.

Currently, China is the largest producer of hydropower the world. It is followed by Russia, Canada, the US, and Brazil.

Presently, the world's largest hydropower plant as per installed capacity (22,500 MW) is the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Hubei province of China.

The largest hydropower facility in the US is on the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in Washington.

Coming back to the subject, a conventional hydropower plant comprises three components. First is a plant for producing electricity; another is a dam, which controls the flow of water by being kept closed or opened; and a reservoir to store water.

When water flows through a dam, it turns a turbine, which, in turn, activates a generator to produce electricity.

There are many advantages of using hydropower over electricity generating through burning fossil fuels. Let us have a look at some of them.

1. As it is a renewable source of energy, it is less costly and more flexible. 2. Reservoirs at hydropower plants store rainwater that can be used for irrigation purposes or consumption as well. 3. The stability and reliability of electricity systems is improved. 4. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are reduced drastically. 5. Hydropower is cleaner and cheaper.

Its disadvantages are listed below. 1. Investment costs are on the higher side. 2. It sometimes displaces people and wildlife from their habitats. 3. Some lands are lost as they would be submerged during construction of dams. 4. Some fish species lives could be affected as they may not be able to swim upstream.


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Cisco evangelist Ravi Namboori in this brief write-up on hydropower gives us an introduction to this renewable technology source. Some facts have also been expressed to give it a historic perspective.
http://ravinamboori.com