Hydropower: The ‘Original’ Renewable Resource
The “Original” Renewable Resource. Hydropower boasts extensive benefits for attaining renewable energy goals, ensuring grid reliability, and supporting communities, while also serving as a standout in the marketplace.
A Clean Energy Cornerstone
Hydropower is a critical source of renewable electricity for attaining a resilient, reliable and clean grid of the future. Unique among renewable resources, hydropower can be dispatched on demand and sustain output for extended durations without interruption, equipping it to back up intermittent supplies of solar and wind generation, whose output fluctuates with the changing solar and wind conditions. Flexibility and dependability makes hydropower a key resource for the integration of a historic influx of renewable power onto the regional electric systems, putting hydropower at the crux of a nationwide effort to decarbonize the power sector to avert the worst effects of climate change.
Keeping the Lights On, Sustainably
Hydropower boasts the environmental benefits of emissions-free electricity coupled with the attributes necessary to support a reliable, resilient and economic electric grid. A dispatchable and fast-ramping resource, hydropower is capable of quickly adjusting power output in response to changing conditions on the grid to help keep the system balanced. Stored water reserves enable hydropower facilities to run for extended periods of time without interruption, adding essential fuel security in times of surging power demand. Hydropower even serves as a critical backstop for the electric grid in the event of unplanned outages, capable of drawing on stored water reserves to help re-start the system.
Calderwood hydropower facility in Blount, Monroe counties, Tennessee.
An Energy Market Champion
Hydropower enjoys a multitude of benefits in the marketplace that sets it apart from other sources of power generation. Hydropower has served as a vital source of electricity for over a century, making it a proven technology. As a storable source of energy, which can be dispatched quickly on demand, hydropower qualifies for a wide spectrum of energy products in the energy, capacity and ancillary services markets. Hydropower, as an emissions-free energy source, qualifies for renewable energy credits and carbon credits, helping states achieve ambitious renewable energy targets and climate goals. Running exclusively on the power of moving water, hydropower requires no fuel inputs, boasts low operation and maintenance costs, with operations spanning decades.
Local Renewable Energy
Choosing hydropower to meet your needs for dependable, sustainable energy provides benefits directly linked to the region where you live and work. Buying your energy from local hydropower facilities boosts support to the community by helping sustain a clean energy resource that provides tax revenue and jobs for the local economy. Your purchase of local hydropower also reduces the carbon intensity of the grid that supplies your electricity, keeping the environmental benefits within the region, and providing a more robust sustainability claim.
Harnessing Diverse Renewable Resources
Better Together
Brookfield Renewable U.S. believes in taking a practical, multi-technology approach to developing a resilient, low-carbon energy grid. We believe that drawing on each renewable technology’s respective benefits can more effectively create a durable foundation for building a sustainable future. Every renewable energy resource will be needed to meet the bold clean energy targets being set to address climate change.
A Clean Energy Cornerstone
Flexibility and dependability makes hydropower a key resource for the integration of a historic influx of intermittent renewable power onto the regional electric systems, putting the technology at the crux of a nationwide effort to decarbonize the power sector to avert the worst effects of climate change.
Hydropower’s marriage of clean energy and reliability benefits makes it critical for achieving a resilient, reliable and economic clean-energy grid of the future.
- Integrates intermittent solar and wind energy
- Enables delivery of 100%, 24/7 clean energy
- Enables consistent, predictable, dependable supplies of clean energy to attain sustainability goals
- Serves as a source of cost-effective clean energy
- Presents a sustainable alternative for fast-responding, base load resource needs