The Other Renewable: Hydropower to Double by 2050?

@cleantechba The Other Renewable: Hydropower to Double by 2050? via @IEEESpectrum

Discussion of renewable energy rightly centers around wind and solar power, making it easy to forget that hydroelectric is still the biggest renewable source by far. In the United States, hydropower accounted for 6.9 percent of installed electricity capacity in 2010 , and 7.8 of the power generated in 2011. It represented a remarkable 83 percent of all renewable power generation around the world in 2010. Hydro has the advantage over other renewables of being very predictable and controllable—open the dam a bit wider, generate more power. And the International Energy Agency thinks the world can double its already considerable hydroelectric output over the next 40 years or so. The IEA released a technology roadmap for hydropower this week that stressed the benefits of hydroelectric power particularly in developing countries. The report points out that the new hydro capacity ...

Full article: http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/the...