Do you want to know more about top 15 hydropower producing states in America? In ancient Greece, people relied on falling water’s force to move water mills which ground wheat into flour. Today, hydropower provides 16.6 percent of global electricity and accounts for 85% of all electricity produced from renewable resources.
Hydro energy is the electricity generated by energy using water movement. This energy source is considered renewable due to the water cycle in nature. The energy of the sun evaporates water from the ocean and river and rises in the form of water vapor. When water vapor reaches cooler air in the atmosphere, it condenses and creates clouds. The moisture eventually falls on Earth like rain or snow, replenishing water in the oceans and rivers. Gravitation drives water from the high ground to low. The flow of liquid water can be very high. The hydroelectric potential of watercourses has been an important source of renewable energy for centuries, and traces of watercourse use can be traced back to ancient Egypt, Persia, and China. In the late 19th century, hydropower became one of the basic sources for the production of electricity. The first hydroelectric power plant was built at Niagara Falls in 1879. In 1881, the street lights of the city of Niagara Falls were powered by hydro power. In 1882, the world’s first hydroelectric power plant started operating in Appleton, USA. In old flour mills, the energy of moving water was transferred to the guiding wheel, which rotated and moved through the axis to move on a millstone, which crushed the wheat into the flour. Hydro energy provides significant opportunities for further development. Although larger rivers are mostly exploited, smaller rivers and streams provide opportunities for further construction, especially the hydroelectric power plant of a flow type or with small dams. One of the top hydropower producing states in America is Oklahoma. Oklahoma has significant coal deposits, so it is not a surprise that the state generates electricity mainly from fossil fuels. Did you know that also Maine heavily relies on renewable resources for electricity generation? Kentucky is another state on this list which is rich in fossil fuels, mainly coal. It seems that after many years of experimental work in many countries, small hydropower plants are becoming more and more ecologically acceptable in many parts of the world, while their price is competitive with new thermal and nuclear power plants, and the impact of new dams on the environment is minimal compared to large hydroelectric projects.
If you want to read more about top 15 hydropower producing states in America, check Insider’s Monkey list of Top 15 Hydropower Producing States in America and find out more about this topic.
