hydroelectric power Archives - State of the Planet

Glacier Retreat in the Andes is Bankrupting a Billion Dollar Corporation

The developer of a controversial hydroelectric project in Chile has filed for bankruptcy, blaming Andean glacier retreat and droughts for low water flows.

by |April 15, 2022
Buildings on the banks of a river fall into a rushing flood.

Devastating Flood in Himalayas Highlights Risks of Development in the Era of Climate Change

Climate change and hydroelectricity power projects compounded the devastating destruction of the February 7 flood in Uttarakhand.

by |February 16, 2021

Dammed Funding for U.S. Dams

Across the nation, large-scale water infrastructure such as dams have provided a multitude of services, from electric power and water reservoirs to flood control and containment of pollution. But federal investments in large water infrastructure projects have largely been curtailed over the past few decades.

by |October 12, 2016

Can Canadian Water Slake America’s Need for Power?

At a time when the world is abuzz with talk of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to stem the tide of climate change, Canada’s surfeit of hydropower production appears an attractive option to people south of the border who still rely on fossil fuel-generated electricity.

by |September 23, 2011

The Push to Dam China’s Rivers

China already has half the world’s large hydroelectric dams (25,800), but along the Yangtze River and its tributaries, 100 large dams are either being planned or built and 43 additional dams are in the works.

by |May 19, 2011