![]() ![]() Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.ģ. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.Ĥ. States that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower, like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, have energy bills that are lower than the rest of the country.ĥ. Hydropower costs less than most energy sources. Over 70 percent of Washington State’s electricity comes from hydropower, and 11 states get more than 10 percent of their electricity from hydropower.Ħ. Every state uses hydropower for electricity, and some states use a lot of it. America’s first commercial hydropower facility was built in 1882 in Appleton, Wisconsin - powering lighting for a paper mill and multiple homes.ħ. Niagara Falls was the site of the country’s first hydroelectric generating facility - built in 1881 when Charles Brush connected a generator to turbines powered by the falls and used the electricity to power nighttime lighting for visiting tourists. They can even be “dam-less,” with diversions or run-of-river facilities channeling part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river.Ĩ. ![]() When most people think of hydropower, they imagine the Hoover Dam – a huge facility storing the power of an entire river behind its walls – but hydropower facilities can be tiny too, taking advantage of water flows in municipal water facilities or irrigation ditches. Learn more about the history of hydropower.ĩ. Hydropower is also a renewable energy source and produces no air pollution or toxic byproducts. It was used by farmers as far back as ancient Greece for mechanical tasks like grinding grain. Hydropower is one of the oldest power sources on the planet, generating power when flowing water spins a wheel or turbine. ![]()
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