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The growing world-wide demand for renewable energy projects is being driven by ever increasing global energy consumption, and the availability of carbon and renewable energy credits.

Renewable energy is entering a new phase with additional funding becoming available from governments, from socially responsible equity funds, and from public capital raisings.

Hydropower is the capture of the energy derived from moving water for some useful purpose. Prior to the widespread availability of commercial electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation, milling of grain, textile manufacture, and the operation of sawmills.

Hydropower produces essentially no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions. In contrast to burning fossil fuels, this energy is not a significant contributor to global warming through production of CO2.

Hydroelectric power can be far less expensive than the electricity generated from fossil fuel or nuclear energy. Areas with abundant hydroelectric power attract industry. Environmental concerns about the effects of reservoirs may prohibit development of economic hydropower sources in some areas.

Hydropower currently accounts for approximately 20% of the world's electricity production, with about 650,000 MW installed and approximately 135,000 MW under construction or in the final planning stages. Notwithstanding this effort, there are large untapped resources on all continents, particularly in areas of the world that are likely to experience the greatest growth in power demand over the next century. It is estimated that only about a quarter of the economically exploitable water resources has been developed to date, leaving the potential for hydro to continue to play a large role in sustaining renewable global electricity production in the future.


Apart from a few countries with an abundance, hydro power is normally applied to peak load demand because it can be readily stopped and started. Nevertheless, hydroelectric power is probably not a major option for the future of energy production in the developed nations, however, because most major sites within these nations are either already being exploited or are unavailable for other reasons, such as environmental considerations

This report discusses various aspects of Hydropower including:
Harnessing Ocean Energy
Hydroelectric Dams
Microhydropower Systems


This report on Hydropower explores the factors associated with utilizing the actual potential of hydropower energy. The report covers all the technological details, along with issues and challenges faced during the utilization of hydropower energy. Major projects, power plants, players in the industry, the major role of the United States in the global hydropower industry, and the various environmental benefits of using hydropower energy are all explored in depth in this report.



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Publication Date: May 2007
Publisher: Energy Business Reports