Global hydropower consumption 2023, by country

The largest global consumers of hydropower include China, Brazil, and Canada. Hydropower consumption in these countries totaled 11.5 exajoules, four exajoules, and 3.4 exajoules, respectively. Several provinces in Canada produce over 90 percent of their energy through hydropower. Due to plentiful and vast water bodies, Canada’s hydroelectricity potential is still much higher than its current consumption of hydro energy. Many of Canada’s hydropower facilities were constructed prior to 1990 and thus major rehabilitation and modernization of its power plants are essential. Global hydropowerHydropower consumption has generally increased over the last decades, reaching 40.3 exajoules in 2021. It is one of the leading renewable sources worldwide due to its flexibility and consistency. Hydropower has long been capable of meeting base load electricity requirements and can meet peak and unexpected demand. There are three main types of hydropower stations. Run of river stations generate electricity through energy derived from river flow, reservoirs generate power by releasing stored water, and pumped storage facilities pump stored water back up to a higher reservoir to be re-released.

全球最大的水力发电消费国包括中国、巴西和加拿大。这些国家的水力发电消费量分别达到11.5艾焦耳、4艾焦耳和3.4艾焦耳。加拿大数个省份通过水力发电产生的能源超过其总能源需求的90%。得益于丰富的水域，加拿大的水力发电潜力远超其当前的水力能源消耗。许多加拿大的水力发电设施始建于1990年之前，因此对其发电厂进行大规模的修复和现代化改造是至关重要的。全球水力发电消费在过去几十年中总体呈上升趋势，到2021年已达到40.3艾焦耳。由于其灵活性和稳定性，水力发电已成为全球领先的可再生能源之一。水力发电长期以来能够满足基础负荷的电力需求，并能应对峰值和突发需求。水力发电站主要有三种类型：径流式水电站通过河流流动产生的能量发电，水库式水电站通过释放储存的水发电，以及抽水蓄能设施将储存的水抽回到更高的水库中以便重新释放。