Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Is hydroelectric power renewable energy? Some point to annual weather cycles and say yes, the rain falls, flows to the sea, rises to the clouds, and returns as rain and snow. Others say, yes, but: although the water cycle is eternal, dams are not. They fill with silt and become waterfalls that generate spray and nothing more.
That’s one reason why in the bar chart below I’ve placed hydro (and geothermal) in a category separate from wind, solar, and biomass. The other reason is that dams already occupy the best sites, so the potential for significant growth in conventional hydro is next to non-existent. The greatest potential for growth in renewable electricity is in solar, wind, and to some extent, biomass.
Note, incidentally, that petroleum liquids and coke account for less than one percent of our electrical generation. I suspect the petroleum liquid is diesel oil for diesel generators in the 10–100s-kilowatt range.
