Energy Atlas

How The World Is Powered
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Energy Source

Hydropower

Also Known As Hydroelectric Power
Renewable
Water Over a Dam

Electricity generated from falling or flowing water, the oldest and still the largest renewable source of electricity worldwide. Water wheels ground grain for two thousand years before the first hydroelectric plants of the early 1880s, and the great dams of the twentieth century made hydropower the backbone of many national grids.

Facts
Source Class
Renewable 1
First Commercial Year
1882 2
The Vulcan Street plant at Appleton, Wisconsin, began generating hydroelectricity for paying customers on 30 September 1882, weeks after the Pearl Street coal station opened in New York.
Hydropower
Filter Results9 entries

Aswan High Dam Construction Project

Hydropower

Belo Monte Dam Project

Hydropower

Boulder Canyon Project

Hydropower

Columbia Basin Project

Hydropower

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project

Hydropower

Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Project

Hydropower

Tarbela Dam Project

Hydropower

Three Gorges Project

Hydropower

Volta River Project

Hydropower
Connections

Associated With

Benoit Fourneyron, Pioneers
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Agencies and Organizations
Source USA.gov Federal Agency Directory
International Hydropower Association, Agencies and Organizations
Source International Hydropower Association Official Site
Niagara Falls AC Power, Milestones
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Vulcan Street Plant Lights Appleton, Milestones
Source American Society of Civil Engineers Official Site

Used By

Archimedes Screw Turbine, Technologies
Aswan High Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source Power Technology
Aswan High Dam Construction Project, Energy Projects

Dam construction project on the Nile River, Egypt, completed 1970.

Bath County Pumped Storage Station, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Belo Monte Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure

Hydroelectric complex on the Xingu River, Para, Brazil.

Belo Monte Dam Project, Energy Projects

Hydroelectric dam construction project on the Xingu River, Para, Brazil.

Boulder Canyon Project, Energy Projects

1928 US federal project that built Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.

Columbia Basin Project, Energy Projects

US Bureau of Reclamation irrigation and hydroelectric project built around Grand Coulee Dam, Washington State.

Crossflow Turbine, Technologies
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Dinorwig Power Station, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source Wikipedia
Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station, Power Stations and Infrastructure

Pumped-storage hydroelectric station, Hebei, China, the largest pumped-storage facility in the world by nameplate capacity.

Francis Turbine, Technologies
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Grand Coulee Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source United States Bureau of Reclamation Site
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project, Energy Projects

Hydroelectric dam construction project on the Blue Nile, Ethiopia.

Guri Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure

Hydroelectric dam on the Caroni River, Bolivar State, Venezuela, one of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world.

Hoover Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Project, Energy Projects

Hydroelectric project on the Parana River, Brazil-Paraguay border.

Itaipu Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Kaplan Turbine, Technologies
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Pelton Turbine, Technologies
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Pumped Storage Hydropower, Technologies
Source United States Department of Energy Official Site
Tarbela Dam Project, Energy Projects

Dam construction project on the Indus River, Pakistan, one of the largest earth-filled dams in the world.

Three Gorges Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Three Gorges Project, Energy Projects

Hydroelectric dam project on the Yangtze River, Hubei, China, the largest power station in the world by installed capacity.

Tucurui Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure

Hydroelectric dam on the Tocantins River, Para, Brazil, the first large hydroelectric project built entirely by Brazilian engineers.

Turgo Turbine, Technologies
Volta River Project, Energy Projects

Hydroelectric development project including the Akosombo Dam on the Volta River, Ghana.

Xiluodu Dam, Power Stations and Infrastructure

Hydroelectric dam on the Jinsha River, Yunnan-Sichuan border, China, one of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world by capacity.

Sources
1. United States Energy Information Administration Official Site
US Energy Information AdministrationView the Source
2. United States Department of Energy Official Site
US Department of Energy
  • Used By: Francis Turbine, Water Power Technologies Office, Types of Hydropower Turbines
    Francis turbines are commonly used for medium- to high-head (130- to 2,000-foot) situations though they have been used for lower heads as well.
  • Used By: Kaplan Turbine, Types of Hydropower Turbines
    Both the blades and the wicket gates are adjustable, allowing for a wider range of operation.
  • Used By: Pelton Turbine, Types of Hydropower Turbines
    Pelton turbines are generally used for very high heads and low flows.
View the Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
  • Used By: Three Gorges Dam
  • Used By: Hoover Dam
  • Used By: Itaipu Dam
  • Used By: Crossflow Turbine
View the Source
American Society of Civil Engineers Official Site
American Society of Civil EngineersAssociated With: Vulcan Street Plant Lights Appleton, Historic Landmarks, Vulcan Street Plant
Quote, Associated With: Vulcan Street Plant Lights Appleton, Historic Landmarks, Vulcan Street Plant
The Edison Company had already begun to generate electricity with steam power 26 days earlier at its Pearl Street plant in New York City, but steam-generated electricity proved more expensive.
View the Source
USA.gov Federal Agency Directory
United States General Services AdministrationAssociated With: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Agencies, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Quote, Associated With: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Agencies, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil, and also regulates hydropower projects and natural gas terminals.
View the Source
International Hydropower Association Official Site
International Hydropower AssociationAssociated With: International Hydropower Association, Who we are, About IHA
Quote, Associated With: International Hydropower Association, Who we are, About IHA
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) is the global voice of sustainable hydropower. It is a non-profit membership organisation representing well over 100 members from every continent in the world.
View the Source
United States Bureau of Reclamation Site
United States Bureau of ReclamationUsed By: Grand Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee Dam fact sheet
Quote, Used By: Grand Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee Dam fact sheet
Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydropower producer in the United States, generating more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
View the Source
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationUsed By: Dinorwig Power Station, Dinorwig Power Station, specification
Quote, Used By: Dinorwig Power Station, Dinorwig Power Station, specification
From standstill, a single 450-tonne generator can synchronise and achieve full load in approximately 75 seconds
View the Source
Power Technology
GlobalDataUsed By: Aswan High Dam, Projects, Aswan High Dam, details
Quote, Used By: Aswan High Dam, Projects, Aswan High Dam, details
It also has 12 Francis turbines, with an installed capacity of 2,100MW
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.