Hydro electricity is power generated by harnessing the power of moving water. The water does not necessarily have to be falling water, just moving water. It is a renewable energy and can heat our homes without causing greenhouse gases. History has shown us that the cost of power from hydropower projects remains quite stable over the years.
Hydropower electricity is the only low-carbon, controllable alternative to nuclear plants. It makes complete sense to start building hydropower projects. This form of generating electricity is unique and it produces constant power twenty four hours a day.
It is necessary to store water to ensure a reliable supply of electricity can be generated from water energy whenever it is needed. Hydro-electricity is the most widely used form of renewable energy. It is an important component of the energy grid for India. Solar energy is still meeting only a tiny fraction of the world's energy needs yet it is the energy source that has enjoyed the greatest growth and continues to promise tremendous potential.
Wave energy is still in its infancy with most hydropower projects still in the experimental or demonstration phases with numerous hydropower projects still trying to prove that the world's oceans can provide us with another sustainable source of power.
Hydro power is an environmentally benign and renewable source of power and has many inherent advantages. Unlike thermal power, once constructed, hydropower projects provide power without expenditure on fuel, for a long time with minimum cost on operation and maintenance.
Hydropower continued to play a major role in the expansion of electrical service early in this century around the world. Hydropower projects plants generate from few kiloWatts to thousands of MegaWatts.. Prior to the widespread availability of commercial electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation, milling of grain, textile manufacture, and the operation of sawmills. Hydropower projects currently supplies 2% of the electricity used in the UK (2004 figures). This is mostly from old, large dam projects.