Hydro Summary
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Hydro Summary
Hydro Summary
Conventional hydropower is a large scale, dispatchable, baseload, renewable power resource. It is a mature technology, representing ~16% of global energy production in 2008.
- Conventional hydropower is a mature technology, which may be used as base load power, grid support and in some cases energy storage.
- Hydropower depends on adequate rainfall within the impoundment (dam) catchment area. In areas where rainfall is highly variable, increased storage capacity may be utilized - at extra capital expense.
- Hydropower plants have two basic configurations; dams with large reservoirs and run-of-river schemes which shallow reservoirs.
- New projects may be controversial, potentially restricting water availability, inundate sensitive habitat or involve the relocation of people.
- Pumped Hydro Energy Storage is a type of hydro project that allows energy to be stored and used when the demand is high.