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This signals that while the world continues to grow, the energy and electrical demands of developing countries are growing even faster. As occurred in the United States in the twentieth century, governments are exploring every means possible to bring electricity to rural areas where little or no electricity exists. Currently, two billion people live in countries where they can not access electricity. And while reaching out to rural areas, there is also the need to provide affordable electricity to emerging and developing industrial bases.
The Hydropower Contribution
Currently, about 20% of the world's electricity is generated through the use of hydropower. This percentage is likely to remain the same as over 500 projects and 152,900 MW of hydropower come on line. Natural gas (with 180,700 MW) and coal (with 187,650 MW) will be the two other largest sources of new electrical generation.
And while the 18,200 MW of power at China’s Three Gorges project captures the most media attention, the reality is that hydropower development is occurring in 80 countries.
Benefits and Other Considerations
The benefits of using hydropower remain consistent worldwide. It is a clean, renewable energy supply. Compared to other sources of “green power,” e.g.—solar, wind, geothermal, etc., hydropower accounts for 92% of the world’s renewable energy supply. And because the renewable nature of hydropower is tapped and controlled within the borders of a country, it is also being recognized as providing energy independence or insulation from the changing currents of world markets and political conditions.
As the dominant source of renewable energy, hydropower is considered part of addressing global concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. In 1997, for example, using hydropower rather than fossil fuels resulted in avoiding emissions that were the equivalent to what all the cars on the planet would have produced for that year.
Further, many hydropower projects are multipurpose. Flood control, water supply, irrigation, recreation, and navigation are other benefits that may be included in a project. Visit HydroVenture to learn more about how these benefits work. For developing countries, these benefits can be critical to economic development plans and a general desire to raise the population’s standard of living.
And for those responsible for maintaining the electrical grid, hydropower provides an important means of regulating the flow of electricity. Unlike plants that use fossil fuels, hydropower facilities can quickly increase and decrease the amount of electricity being generated. As electric systems must always maintain an exact balance with demand, this “peaking” ability is very important. The operating costs of these plants are also lower than those using fossil fuels.
But like any energy resource, there are environmental and other concerns that must be addressed. These concerns include barriers to upstream and downstream fish passage and changes to water quality, habitat condition, or the flow rate of water moving downstream. Inundation, relocation of people and villages, and the preservation of cultural heritage are also significant concerns when developing large storage projects.
Find Out More
There are organizations and groups that are very engaged in considering the international development of hydropower. Collectively, they track where projects are being or may be built, regulatory issues, environmental developments, and more. From Hydro Links, you can find a diverse set of international resources to explore.
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