What is hydroelectricity? How much of the US electric supply is generated by hydroelectric power plants?

What is hydroelectricity? How much of the US electric supply is generated by hydroelectric power plants?



Answer: Water power is a form of stored solar energy, because climate, which dictates the flow of water on Earth, is driven in part by differential solar heating of the atmosphere.

Today, hydroelectric power plants use the water stored behind dams. In the U.S., hydroelectric plants generate about 80,000 MW of electricity - about 10% of the total electricity produced in the nation like in Norway and Canada, hydroelectric power plants produce most of the electricity used. Hydropower can also be used to store energy through the process of pump storage.

During times when demand for power is low, electricity produced from oil, coal, or nuclear plants in excess of the demand is used o pump water uphill to a higher reservoir. Then, during times when demand is high, the stored water flows back down to a low pool through generators to help provide energy.

Micro-hydropower systems, or small scale hydropower systems, have power output of less than 100 Kwh and may be used in the future.

Site specific - depending on local regulations, economic situations, and hydrolog limitations.

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