Editing Energy development (section)

=== Hydroelectricity ===

[[File:ThreeGorgesDam-China2009.jpg|thumb| The 22,500 [[Megawatt|MW]] [[Three Gorges Dam]] in China – the [[List of conventional hydroelectric power stations#Hydroelectric power stations|world's largest]] hydroelectric power station]]

[[Hydroelectricity]]  is electric power generated by [[hydropower]]; the force of falling or flowing water. In 2015 hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/GSR_2016_Full_Report_REN21.pdf|access-date=2017-05-24|title=Renewables 2016: Global Status Report|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525173336/http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/GSR_2016_Full_Report_REN21.pdf|archive-date=2017-05-25}}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2017}} and was expected to increase about 3.1% each year for the following 25 years.

Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the Asia-Pacific region generating 32 percent of global hydropower in 2010. China is the largest hydroelectricity producer, with 721 terawatt-hours of production in 2010, representing around 17 percent of domestic electricity use. There are now three hydroelectricity plants larger than 10 GW: the [[Three Gorges Dam]] in China, [[Itaipu Dam]] across the Brazil/Paraguay border, and [[Guri Dam]] in Venezuela.<ref name=wi2012>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwatch.org/node/9527 |title=Use and Capacity of Global Hydropower Increases |author=Worldwatch Institute |date=January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924062448/http://www.worldwatch.org/node/9527 |archive-date=2014-09-24 |access-date=2014-01-11 }}</ref>

The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a competitive source of renewable electricity. The average cost of electricity from a hydro plant larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour.<ref name=wi2012/> Hydro is also a flexible source of electricity since plants can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands. However, damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems, and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife.<ref name=wi2012/> Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a considerably lower output level of the [[greenhouse gas]] [[carbon dioxide]] than [[fossil fuel]] powered energy plants.<ref name="REN21-2011">[http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR2011.pdf Renewables 2011 Global Status Report, page 25, Hydropower] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409013321/http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR2011.pdf |date=April 9, 2012 }}, ''[[REN21]]'', published 2011, accessed 2011-11-7.</ref>