Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. Basically anything water related. From hydroelectric dam to fresh water turbines they are mostly clean, renewable energies that are imperative for the future of the human race and indeed power production. While we here in the UK do a little bit, these ten countries you are about to see make up almost 99% of the worlds hydroelectricity power production…
Sweden Hydroelectricity Dam
10 – Sweden (Hydropower Produced: 78,143 GWh)
Wiki Info: Hydroelectricity is electricity produced from hydropower. In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the world’s total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
Venezuela Hydroelectricity
9 – Venezuela (Hydropower Produced: 81,188 GWh)
Wiki Info: Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region generating 33 percent of global hydropower in 2013. China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 920 TWh of production in 2013, representing 16.9 percent of domestic electricity use.
Japan Hydroelectricity
8 – Japan (Hydropower Produced: 86,942 GWh)
Wiki Info: The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable electricity. The hydro station consumes no water, unlike coal or gas plants. The average cost of electricity from a hydro station larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour.
India Hydroelectricity
7 – India (Hydropower Produced: 131,643 GWh)
Wiki Info: With a dam and reservoir it is also a flexible source of electricity since the amount produced by the station can be changed up or down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a considerably lower output level of greenhouse gases than fossil fuel powered energy plants.
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Norway Hydroelectricity
6 – Norway (Hydropower Produced: 140,473 GWh)
Wiki Info: ydropower has been used since ancient times to grind flour and perform other tasks. In the mid-1770s, French engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor published Architecture Hydraulique which described vertical- and horizontal-axis hydraulic machines. By the late 19th century, the electrical generator was developed and could now be coupled with hydraulics. The growing demand for the Industrial Revolution would drive development as well.
Russia Hydroelectricity
5 – Russia (Hydropower Produced: 164,423 GWh)
Wiki Info: 1878 the world’s first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland, England by William George Armstrong. It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery. The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1 near Niagara Falls in the U.S. side began to produce electricity in 1881.
United States Hydroelectricity
4 – United States (Hydropower Produced: 281,527 GWh)
Wiki Info: The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts. By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the U.S. and Canada. By 1889 there were 200 in the U.S. alone.
Canada Hydroelectricity
3 – Canada (Hydropower Produced: 376,706 GWh)
Wiki Info: Hydroelectric power stations continued to become larger throughout the 20th century. Hydropower was referred to as white coal for its power and plenty. Hoover Dam’s initial 1,345 MW power station was the world’s largest hydroelectric power station in 1936; it was eclipsed by the 6809 MW Grand Coulee Dam in 1942.
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Brazil Hydroelectricity
2 – Brazil (Hydropower Produced: 411,189 GWh)
Wiki Info: At the beginning of the 20th century, many small hydroelectric power stations were being constructed by commercial companies in mountains near metropolitan areas. Grenoble, France held the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism with over one million visitors.
China Hydroelectricity
1 – China (Hydropower Produced: 856,350 GWh)
Wiki Info: The technical potential for the growth of hydropower around the world are, 71% Europe, 75% North America, 79% South America, 95% Africa, 95% Middle East, 82% Asia Pacific. The political realities of new reservoirs in western countries, economic limitations in the third world and the lack of a transmission system in undeveloped areas, result in the possibility of developing 25% of the remaining potential before 2050, with the bulk of that being in the Asia Pacific area.