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Global hydropower industry- statistics & facts

Hydropower is harnessed from the kinetic energy derived from moving water. This power is often found in streams and rivers that flow from hills and mountains. Hundreds of years ago, this energy was used to power sawmills, domestic lifts, and many other domestic devices. In 1879, the first hydroelectric power plant was built at Niagara Falls and soon after began its operation to power a small city in Wisconsin. Generally, a hydropower plant consists of a plant where electricity is produced, a dam to control water flow, and a reservoir to store water. Hydropower accounts for over one third of the total installed renewable capacity worldwide.

Hydropower generation and consumption

Hydroelectric energy production has increased to almost 4.5 petawatt hours, with global hydropower consumption reaching 40.26 exajoules in 2021. Predictably, countries with the highest share of hydropower consumption are those with plenty of running water. In fact, hydropower is considered one of the cheapest sources of energy; after a facility’s construction and installation, harnessing the power of flowing water is essentially free. Additionally, the speed of running water can also be controlled through turbines to produce electricity on demand. China has the greatest hydropower generation of any country worldwide.

Large versus small hydropower projects

Although hydropower is considered a renewable energy source, large hydropower dams can still be responsible for environmental problems such as disrupting and damaging aquatic ecosystems. Most new hydropower projects worldwide must undergo an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. Small hydropower technologies, are an alternative to large dam facilities, which garnered about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in funding in 2019. The small hydropower market size is expected to grow to some 2.6 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Lucía Fernández, Feb 9, 2023

Key insights

Renewable energy capacity including hydropower
3.1 TW
Renewable share of total electricity generation (including hydropower)
26.3%
Cumulative hydropower and pumped storage capacity
1,360 GW
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Largest hydroelectric power generating countries worldwide in 2021 (in terawatt hours)

Renewable Energy

Largest hydropower producing countries 2021

Cumulative hydropower and pumped storage installed capacity worldwide from 2014 to 2021 (in gigawatts)

Renewable Energy

Global hydropower installed capacity 2014-2021

Hydropower consumption worldwide from 2000 to 2021 (in exajoules)

Energy

Global hydropower consumption 2000-2021

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