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Hydropower is the Solution That’s Right in Front of You
The answer to America’s clean energy goals is already here. Hydropower provides clean, carbon-free energy to roughly 30 million American homes. It provides a reliable 24/7 clean energy foundation which keeps our lights on even when the wind stops blowing and the sun has set. Hydropower is the solution that’s right in front of you.
Powers Our Grid
We want our electricity to be ready and reliable for when we need it, rain or shine, windy or calm. With hydropower, pumped storage and marine energy, we know that when we plug in our phone or turn on our TV, affordable and clean energy will be there to power our lifestyles. Hydropower provides baseload power for our grid – meaning that it is available around the clock to power our homes and businesses. Additionally, pumped storage hydropower acts as a giant water battery, charging up during times of surplus electricity and releasing it onto the grid when we need it.
Hydropower and pumped storage are vital parts of our lives because they ensure a ready and reliable 24/7 clean energy grid even when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun has set.
A Solution to the Climate Crisis
Hydropower is poised to play an even larger role in responding to the climate crisis. We’re gaining momentum through historic federal investments in the existing fleet’s efficiency which helps unlock more hydropower generation. But more needs to be done to expand hydropower’s clean energy contributions, including streamlining the licensing and relicensing process and adding generation to existing dams to provide additional clean power.
In the U.S., Hydropower is in Your Backyard…
Today, we’re no longer taking our electricity for granted. We want a sustainable source of power that is carbon-free and always available. You may not know it, but there’s a source of power on your lakes and rivers, that’s in your backyard that’s been doing just that for generations.
Hydropower in the U.S.
The United States has approximately 2,300 operational hydropower and pumped storage facilities with a capacity of over 100 Gigawatts – enough to power over 30 million American homes. Hydropower provides about 6% of total U.S. electricity supply and accounts for approximately one-third of total U.S. renewable energy supply.
Of the existing 2,300 hydropower facilities, 43 are pumped storage hydropower facilities. Pumped storage hydropower makes up 96% of utility-scale energy storage capacity, making it an integral part of a reliable clean energy grid.
Find out where hydropower facilities are near you by visiting the Hydro Map HERE!
Learn More About Hydropower
Clean Living
The energy we choose to power our everyday lives plays a big role in clean living. Hydropower and pumped storage provide a 24/7 ready and reliable energy foundation allowing one to plug in EV’s, TV’s and more without thinking twice about whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.
Beneath the Surface
Hydropower is more than just clean energy. Yes, it’s essential to our clean energy future, but there’s so much more below the surface. Many don’t realize that hydropower also enriches our communities by protecting our ecosystems and creating community gathering places.
