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GLOBAL RENEWABLES ONLINE - APRIL 2012
GLOBAL HYDROPOWER: A LOOK
AT FUTURE GROWTH
HYDROPOWER TO CONTRIBUTE
MAJOR SHARE TOWARDS
RENEWABLE POWER BY 2020
Hydropower is the most com-
monly used renewable resource for
power generation globally, and ac-
counted for around 93% of the cu-
mulative installed capacity in 2010.
Enormous support is provided by
various governments around the
world for hydropower generation, in
the form of favorable policies and in-
centives. Much hydropower poten-
tial across the globe is still untapped.
As the most reliable clean energy,
an increasing focus on hydropower
is emerging, and there is opportu-
nity to exploit natural resources all
over the world. Hydropower is the
most widely used renewable ener-
gy source, as it is inexpensive, and
is the simplest form of renewable
energy with the longest history of
use. The share of other renewable
resources are expected to increase
in the future to meet the growing
global electricity demand, but hy-
dropower is expected to remain the
highest contributor to the global
renewable installed capacity, ac-
counting for around a 59.8% share.
GLOBAL HYDROPOWER
CUMULATIVE INSTALLED CAPACITY
EXPECTED TO REACH 1,051.1 GW
BY 2020
The global hydropower cumu-
lative installed capacity increased
at a Compound Annual Growth
Rate (CAGR) of 4.2% for the period
2005-2010, from 601.1 Giga Watts
(GW) in 2005 to 739.2 GW in 2010.
Almost all regions of the world have
significant hydropower potential
which is yet to be exploited. Gov-
ernment support is encouraging
investments from both public and
private players in the hydropower
sector, and the global hydropow-
er industry is expected to grow at
a CAGR of 3.6% during the fore-
cast period of 2011-2020, there-
by reaching 1,051.1 GW by 2020.
SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA,
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICAN
REGIONS EXPECTED TO BE
EMERGING HYDROPOWER
MARKETS BY 2020
There is significant hydro-
power potential in the Middle East
and Africa, and South and Central
America. African countries such
as Mozambique and Ethiopia have
substantial untapped hydropower
potential, and the main sources of
“There is significant
hydropower potential
in the Middle East and
Africa, and South and
Central America.”
GLOBAL HYDRO POWER