Facts on Hydro Power
Hydropower Potential
Hydropower offers a significant potential as low priced, climate friendly and renewable energy source. It is a flexible energy resources, capable of meeting base load electricity requirements as well as peak and unexpected demand in the case of shortages or the use of intermittent power sources.
The amount of electricity produced by hydropower is defined by the amount of water (flow) which flows down a certain height. The produced electricity then is to be transportet by powerlines to potential users.
In 2009 electricity production from hydropower was about 16% of the global electricity production. The undeveloped capacity ranges from 30% in Europe up to 88% in Africa.
There is a huge structural difference between small and large hydropower:
the first is mainly decentralised - the latter usually is grid connected, i.e. integrated in large distribution grids. [link classification]
The physical hydropower potential of a region is bound to specific site characteristics like structure and slope of the terrain, i.e. the head which the water.
Small hydropower potential is given in hilly or mountainous regions, where rivers do not fall dry during the year. Where gravity fed irrigation is practiced small and micro power plants find suiting conditions.
Mountainous regions often have bad infrastructure and are least to be connected to a electric grid. If there is water available it may be a suitable source for decentralised hydro power electrification. Such setups may even get support from governmental or major electricity supplier. The costs to connect remote areas are high, whereby the revenue, due to little amount of electricity utilised, is low.
Technical and Economic Feasible Hydropower Potential
Generation Capacities
Electricity generation from hydropower makes a substantial contribution to meeting the increasing world electricity demands. In 2010, in 161 countries hydropower is installed making up a worldwide installed hydro electric capacity of 926 GW which provide one-fifth of the world's electricity supply. Out of these 161 countries five countries make up more than the half of the world's hydropower production: China (~200 GW), Canada (74.4 GW), Brasil (84 GW), the USA (78.2 GW) and Russia (49.7 GW).
Often hydropower is the main or even only source for electricity production in developing countries.
Any other conventional energy source requires steady fuel. Such, like coal, gas or oil has to be purchased.
|
Country[1] |
Installed Hydropower Capacity in MW |
% of total electricity generation |
|
Burundi |
50.5 |
100 |
|
Bhutan |
1488 |
100 |
|
Congo, Dem. Rep. |
2442 |
100 |
|
Lesotho |
76 |
100 |
|
Namibia |
249 |
100 |
|
Paraguay |
68000 |
100 |
|
Mozambique |
2179 |
100 |
|
Zambia |
1812 |
>99 |
|
Norway |
29636 |
99 |
|
Albania |
1450 |
98 |
|
Lao PDR |
2000 |
98 |
|
Tajikistan |
5200 |
96 |
|
Ethiopia |
784 |
>95 |
|
Malawi |
290 |
95 |
|
Cameroon |
720 |
94 |
|
Nepal |
660 |
92 |
|
Kyrgyz Republic |
2910 |
91 |
|
Congo, Rep. |
119 |
>90 |
|
Georgia |
2850 |
86 |
|
Brazil |
84000 |
84 |
|
Swaziland |
42 |
82 |
|
Central afric. Rep. |
24.6 |
80 |
For Existing Sites see also GPS coordinates - Hydropower sites
Further Information
References
- http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report - Prepared by Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P. Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1075 pp.
