Hydropower, or hydroelectric power, is a renewable source of energy that generates power by using a dam or diversion structure to alter the natural flow of a river or other body of water.

A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and reservoir is a flexible source, since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand.

Some hydropower plants use dams and some do not. Although not all dams were built for hydropower, they have proven useful for pumping tons of renewable energy to the grid. Of the more than 90,000 dams in the United States, less than 3% produce power.

2024年12月21日 · Hydroelectric power is a form of renewable energy in which electricity is produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of moving water into mechanical energy. Hydroelectric power plants usually are located in dams that impound rivers, though tidal action is used in some coastal areas.

2025年1月22日 · Hydropower plants—big and small—produce electricity using the elevation difference created by a dam or diversion structure. Water flows in one side and exits at a lower point, spinning a turbine, which runs a generator that produces electricity.

A conventional dammed-hydro facility (hydroelectric dam) is the most common type of hydroelectric power generation. Chief Joseph Dam near Bridgeport, Washington , is a major run-of-the-river station without a sizeable reservoir.

2018年8月30日 · The theory is to build a dam on a large river that has a large drop in elevation (there are not many hydroelectric plants in Kansas or Florida). The dam stores lots of water behind it in the reservoir .