China Racing Ahead With Hydro

According to the International Hydropower Association, China is roaring ahead in terms of installed hydropower capacity. Globally, hydropower capacity increased by about 30 GW through 2012 while pumped-storage added another 2-3 GW.

China is the world leader by some distanced in terms of hydropower– by the end 2012, the country had an installed capacity of 248.9 GW. China is also home to the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest power station. Fully functional since July 2012, the massive structure has an installed capacity of some 22,500 MW.

The United States comes second worldwide for hydropower with an installed capacity of 99.1 GW while Brazil rounds off the top three with 84.2 GW.