Hydroelectric power
This factfile provides an introduction to the technology and potential of hydropower. Hydropower is by far the most significant renewable resource of electricity exploited to date.
According to the IEA, the share of hydropower in electricity production will remain flat at its current share of 16% or decline slightly by 2035, yet only about one-third of the economic potential worldwide has been built to date.
In the OECD countries the best sites have already been exploited and environmental regulations constrain new development, although the construction of smaller size plants proceeds apace in many countries, and there is considerable activity in the refurbishment of existing schemes to extend their lives and, in many cases, increase their outputs.
New hydro projects in developing countries are a massive area of development activity, following a maturing of our understanding of how to balance environmental, social and energy concerns.
We’re upgrading our contact centre to make it quicker and easier for you to speak to the right member of our team.
From Thursday, 30 to Friday, 31 October, our phone lines will be temporarily unavailable while we upgrade our systems. For any urgent enquiries during this time, please email membership@theiet.org and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
From Monday, 3 November, we’re moving to one central phone number for all enquiries - which will be 0333 049 9123. This change will make it easier to reach the right team quickly and improve your experience.
Thank you for your patience as we improve how we connect with you.