What is hydropower?

Hydropower (or hydroenergy) is a form of renewable energy that uses the water stored in dams, as well as flowing in rivers to create electricity in hydropower plants. Like other forms of electricity generation, hydropower uses a turbine to help generate electricity; using the energy of falling or flowing water to turn the blades. read more

Hydropower or water power (from Greek: ύδωρ,"water") is power derived from the energy of falling water or fast running water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. read more

This is called hydroelectric power or hydropower. The most common type of hydroelectric power plant uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. Water released from the reservoir flows through a turbine, spinning it, which in turn activates a generator to produce electricity. read more

A hydropower resource can be evaluated by its available power. Power is a function of the hydraulic head and rate of fluid flow. The head is the energy per unit weight (or unit mass) of water. read more

Hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity today. That's because once a dam has been built and the equipment installed, the energy source—flowing water—is free. It's a clean fuel source that is renewable yearly by snow and rainfall. read more