Hydro-power: used by humans

since the ancient ages.

Modern installations:

Two worlds largest

hydropower plants:

Itaipu Dam, on the border between

Brazil and Paraguay, until recently
the largest (14,000 MW)

The Dam of Three Gorges

In China, currently the
largest (18,300 MW, target
power 22,500 MW).

(for comparison: average power

consumption in Oregon: 5,300 MW;
USA in December 2008:
461,000 MW).
 The largest US hydropower station, and another very large one:

Hoover Dam
(power: 2080 MW; 4 TW-hour annually)

Grand Coule Dam (Columbia River):

(6800 MW; 22.6 TW-hour annually)

World: List of the largest hydropower plants

Hydroelectric
Energy
actually is
Solar Energy
somewhat
transformed
by the lady
shown below:

Mother Nature
Global hydropower Enough to satisfy almost 50% of
resources: the current global consumption.

But the power supplied by all

existing installation is only 6%
of the total global consumption.
Global power production:

Hydropower
production,
by countries:
 Idaho

Maine

Montana

Oregon

S. Dakota

Washington
 TRY THIS: Pumped-storage power plant -- animation

Aerial view of the

reservoir of a
pumped-storage
power plant in Italy
Generator/motor

Turbine

Pump
Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Power Plant, TN, the US fifth-largest (1530 MW).
The largest in the US, and in the world: Bath County, VA (2700 MW).

List of the largest Pumped-Storage plants worldwide, by countries

A graph showing a typical daily activity of a pumped-storage plant:
Pumping (mostly, during night hours), and Power Generation the
power generated may sharply go up and down, depending on how
much backup the nations power system needs at a given moment.