Editing Small hydro (section)

==Generation==
{{Main|hydroelectricity}}
[[File:HKO_Transmission_02.JPG|thumb|Historic [[Ottenbach Small Hydro]] with original equipment of 1920 in [[Ottenbach, Switzerland]], still running for guided visits]]
[[File:Hongping-Power-Station-5425.jpg|thumb|Hongping Power station, in Hongping Town, [[Shennongjia]], has a design typical for small hydro stations in the western part of China's [[Hubei]] Province. Water comes from the mountain behind the station, through the black pipe seen in the photo]]

Hydroelectric power is the generation of electric power from the movement of water. A  hydroelectric facility requires a dependable flow of water and a reasonable height for the water to fall, called the [[Hydraulic head|head]]. In a typical installation, water is fed from a reservoir through a pipe into a [[hydro turbine|turbine]]. The water flowing through the turbine causes an [[electrical generator]] to rotate, converting the motion into electrical energy.

Small hydro projects may be created from the re-development of existing dams whose primary purpose is flood control or irrigation. Old hydro sites may also be re-developed with water rights re-used, salvaging substantial investment in installation technology such as penstock pipe and turbines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beles Hydroelectric Power Plant: Background and Construction {{!}} PDF {{!}} Hydroelectricity {{!}} Power (Physics) |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/515915310/Beles-Hydroelec |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Scribd |language=en}}</ref> Either of these cost saving advantages can make the return on investment for a small hydro site well worth the use of existing sites.

[[Brazil]] is another country which is investing heavily in small hydro. Brazil itself is a leader in hydroelectric generation, the world's third most hydropower installed capacity country at 79 GW, behind the United States at 100 GW, and China in first place with 171 GW. <ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Martins |first1=Douglas Eduardo Costa |last2=Seiffert |first2=Mari Elizabete Bernardini |last3=Dziedzic |first3=Maurício |date=2013-12-01 |title=The importance of clean development mechanism for small hydro power plants |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148113003145 |journal=Renewable Energy |volume=60 |pages=643–647 |doi=10.1016/j.renene.2013.06.021 |bibcode=2013REne...60..643M |issn=0960-1481|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 51 new small hydro projects are, as of 2024, being constructed in Brazil.