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hydroelectric power
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Hydroelectric dam at Imatrankoski spans the Vuoksi River in Finland, with turbulent water flowing through open spillways and forested banks on both sides. Row of large blue hydroelectric turbine generators inside the Hoover Dam power plant, with an American flag hanging above. Aerial view of Hoover Dam spanning the Colorado River between steep rocky cliffs in Black Canyon, with Lake Mead behind the dam and arid mountains surrounding the area. This diagram shows how a tidal power barrage generates electricity, with cross-sections of a structure containing sluice gates and a turbine placed between the ocean and a tidal basin. Water flows through the turbine as tides change, converting tidal energy into hydroelectric power. The upper image depicts high tide with water held in the tidal basin, while the lower image shows water flowing back through the turbine at low tide. Norris Dam stretches across a wide river, with a road running along the top and a power station below, surrounded by forested hills in East Tennessee.
The Transition to Renewable Energy Explained by Phil the Fixer
Congo River: hydroelectric dam at Inga Falls Paulo Afonso: hydroelectric plant Hydroelectic plant on Summersville Lake, near Summersville, W.Va. Hydroelectric power station dam on the Volkhov River in Volkhov, Russia, with water cascading through multiple gates and trees in the background.
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hydroelectric power summary
Quizzes
Electric power lines against sunset (grid, power, wires, electrical, electricity)
Energy & Fossil Fuels
Metal and enamel pan of boiling water on stove. (boiling point; cooking; steam; cooking gas; non-electric)
Aitch-Two-Oh?
James Watt as a young man, c1769. Scottish engineer and instrument maker. Invented the modern steam engine which became the main source of power in Britain's textile mills. His engine had a separate condenser in which steam from the cylinder; (see notes)
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hydroelectric power: References & Edit History

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Modified link of Web site: IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environemtnal Science - On issue of hydroelectric power plants. Oct 02, 2026
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Environmental flows or economic woes—Hydropower under global energy market changes. Aug 22, 2026
Added a timeline of milestones in the development of hydroelectric power. Added section headings and mentioned wave power. Jun 12, 2026
Add new Web site: U.S. Department of the Interior - Bureau of Reclamation - Hydroelectric Power (PDF). Feb 03, 2026
Add new Web site: IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environemtnal Science - On issue of hydroelectric power plants. Nov 14, 2025
Add new Web site: DigitalCommons at Kennesaw State University - Renewable Energy: Hydropower (PDF). Sep 18, 2025
Add new Web site: Biology LibreTexts - Hydropower. Jul 01, 2025
Add new Web site: U.S. Geological Survey - Hydroelectric Power: How it Works. May 10, 2025
Add new Web site: The Institution for Engineering and Technology - Hydroelectric power (PDF). Feb 13, 2025
Add new Web site: Water Education Foundation - Hydroelectric Power. Dec 21, 2024
Add new Web site: IBM - What is Hydropower? Oct 30, 2024
Add new Web site: U.S. Energy Information Administration - Hydropower explained. May 29, 2024
Added a list of types of renewable energy. Apr 22, 2024
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Hydroelectric Energy. Feb 02, 2024
Add new Web site: Energy Education - Hydropower. Oct 10, 2023
Add new Web site: Energy.gov - Hydropower Basics. Oct 14, 2022
Mentioned that hydroelectric power generation is vulnerable to drought conditions. Aug 12, 2021
Removed media. Jul 26, 2021
Article revised and updated. Aug 24, 2020
Mentioned the importance of hydroelectric power as a source of renewable energy. May 27, 2020
Add new Web site: PBS - American Experience - Watch Hoover Dam. Aug 02, 2018
Media added. Nov 02, 2017
Mentioned some of the negative environmental impacts and added cross-references. Nov 02, 2017
Replaced photograph. Oct 24, 2017
Added video. Jan 16, 2015
Media added. Jun 07, 2011
Added new Web site: National Geographic - Environment - Hydropower. Apr 20, 2009
Added new Web site: Energy Information Administration - Hydropower Basics. May 08, 2008
Media added. May 04, 2007
Added new Web site: Education World - Creating Energy from Water. Apr 25, 2007
Article revised and updated. Dec 08, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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