The World’s 10 Largest Hydroelectric Dams

It is amazing to think how many of these really large hydroelectric projects have only taken place in the last several decades.

"Hydroelectricity is one of the fore-runners of the renewable energy industry, accounting for over 16% of global electricity production, with a predicted annual increase in production of 3.1%.  China is the current global leader in hydroelectric production with four dams on the top ten list, with total hydroelectric production accounting for 17% of domestic electricity use.  Hydroelectricity represents an attractive option in the renewable energy market given its relatively low cost, flexibility in terms of production relative to demand and lower output levels of greenhouse gas when compared with fossil fuel energy plants.

10. Robert-Bourassa
La Grande, Canada
This plant is part of Quebec’s James Bay Project and has a generating capacity of 5,616 MW. The dam is named after Premier of Quebec Robert Bourassa and was originally commissioned in 1981.

9. Krasnoyarsk
Yenisei River, Russia
This dam originally came online in 1972 and has been operating ever since. It’s located in Southern Russia and has a generating capacity of 6,000 MW.

8. Longtan Dam
Hongshui River, China
The Longtan Dam is the tallest of its type in the world and has a generating capacity of 6,426 MW. It’s relatively new, as it was only commissioned in 2007.

7. Grand Coulee
Columbia River, United States
Washington State’s Grand Coulee dam is a classic. It’s been around since 1933 and remains one of the biggest in the world. It has a generating capacity of 6,809 MW and is currently undergoing major overhauls.

6. Xiangjiaba
Jinsha River, China
This dam operates on a tributary of the Yangtze River and has a generating capacity of 6,400 MW. This dam is also very new, beginning operations in 2012.

5. Tucuruí
Tocantins River, Brazil
This dam was the first large-scale hydro power project in the Amazon rainforest. It was commissioned in 1984 and has a generating capacity of 8,370 MW.

4. Guri
Caroní River, Venezuela
The Guri Dam is huge. It is 7,426 meters long and 162 meters high. It’s also quite old, as it was commissioned in 1978. It currently has a generating capacity of 10,235 MW.

3. Xiluodu
Jinsha River, China
This dam has a generating capacity of 13,860 and also provides flood control for the region. It’s brand new, as it was only commissioned in 2013, and is operated by China Yangtze Power.

2. Itaipu Dam
Paraná River, Brazil/Paraguay
This dam occasionally has a higher generating output than the number one spot. With 14 GW of installed capacity it’s quite impressive. It also straddles the line between two countries, making initial negotiations difficult.

1. Three Gorges Dam
Yangtze River, China
Here it is: the big one. With a massive generating capacity of 22.5 GW, the Three Gorges Dam is the biggest hydro dam in the world. China had begun dreaming up this dam in 1919, and in 2008, it came alive. It’s a beast of a hydro dam and is a marvel of modern engineering."

Kevin Smead

The World’s 10 Largest Hydroelectric Dams:

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Tiny Spanish Island Nears Its Goal: 100 Percent Renewable Energy

Now this is what we need to be talking about when referencing the possibilities of the future with regards to renewable energy supply.  Wind supported pumped storage is something every system in the world, with storage backed hydroelectric power can exploit.  If you cannot pump, then simply curtail production when the wind is blowing.  When it is not, utilize the water that had been stored.  This is an old concept and an exisitng practice of hydroelectric companies.  However, rather than following the wind, they follow the rate at which the power is being paid for. If wind were ever to play a significant enough role in the energy mix, it would affect the price of energy, and effectively drive production or release of stored power.

Read the article below regarding El Hierro's ambitious and successful plan to cut off their need for fossil fuels with their combined wind and pumped-storage  facility.



It actually takes quite a lot of fossil fuel power to reach the tiny Spanish island of El Hierro. You have to catch a commercial jet flight, a propeller plane and then a ferry to reach what was once the end of the known world, before Columbus set sail.

But once you're there, there's no need for fossil fuels at all. The ancient island off the west coast of Africa is now a model for the future, within months of running on 100 percent renewable energy, which consists of a mix of wind and hydro-power.

El Hierro, the most remote of Spain's Canary Islands, is now billing itself as the world's first energy self-sufficient island that has never been hooked up to a power grid.

A Danish island, Samso, is also energy-independent, but was previously hooked up to the Danish grid and didn't make the change in isolation, like El Hierro.

Because of the topography of the surrounding seabed, El Hierro, an active volcanic island with a population of about 10,000, could never hook up to Spain's power grid.

Instead, it used big barges to ship in 6,600 tons of diesel fuel — the equivalent of 40,000 barrels of oil — each year, to power electricity generators. It was an expensive, time-consuming and dirty endeavor ... until now.

This past summer, El Hierro inaugurated the Gorona del Viento power plant, a $110 million wind and water turbine farm. By the end of this year, the plant will generate all of the island's energy needs of up to 48 gigawatt hours per year."

Tiny Spanish Island Nears Its Goal: 100 Percent Renewable Energy : Parallels : NPR: "

First Nations ultimatum: Site C dam or LNG, but not both

"OTTAWA — The power struggle between B.C. First Nations and the federal government over resource development in the B.C’s North escalated this week with both sides issuing public statements about who has the final say over major projects.

Tensions have been high since a Supreme Court of Canada decision in June ruled the Crown can only infringe on an aboriginal or treaty rights if it meets a tough test aimed at reconciling those rights with the broader public interest.

The court ruling, which stressed the need for consent, has triggered lawsuits from First Nations challenging numerous proposed economic development projects.

A delegation of B.C. First Nations leaders travelled to Ottawa this week to warn the federal government not to approve the Site C hydroelectric project in northeastern B.C. They said the provincial and federal governments would have to choose between Site C and the liquefied natural gas developments that affect the Peace River in northeastern B.C.

Chief Roland Willson of the West Moberly First Nation said his people, who would be affected by Site C, are not opposed to resource development. But multiple developments would be too much.

“I’ve said you can’t have both,’’ Willson said told The Canadian Press. “If you want to push Site C, we’re not going to be in favour of any LNG projects, any of the pipeline projects up there. We don’t want to be there but if that’s the case, we don’t have any other choice.’’

The government of Prime Minister Harper has been at the United Nations this week for discussions on global security. But it took the opportunity to tell the world that Harper believes aboriginal people do not have a “veto” over development.

The UN assembly adopted a “consensus outcome document” Monday, which essentially reiterated a 2007 declaration, stating that governments must obtain “free, prior and informed consent” before adopting administrative or legislative measures that might affect indigenous peoples.

The Harper government appears to consider consent in that mean veto. But First Nations leaders said they do not have a veto but that the UN document, like the June Supreme Court of Canada ruling, means government must consult with native governments and seek their consent. Only after that process, if an agreement has not been reached, can Ottawa go on to make the argument that public interest trumps aboriginal rights,

The Harper government adopted the 2007 UN declaration in 2010 but stated publicly that it was an “aspirational” document and that “free, prior and informed consent” shouldn’t be interpreted as a “veto” on development.

On Monday, the Canadian government issued a similar caveat, saying that the new “outcome document” again contained wording on “free, prior and informed consent” that could be “interpreted as providing a veto to aboriginal groups and in that regard, cannot be reconciled with Canadian law.”

Canada was the only member state at the UN General Assembly gathering Monday to object to the UN document.

Aboriginal leaders accused the federal government of misinterpreting the UN declaration and disregarding the Supreme Court of Canada decision involving B.C. Tsilhqot’in First Nation.

Grand Chief Ed John said the Canadian position was an “inflammatory” move aimed at implying that “consent” means “veto.” Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said the government is “thumbing its nose” at Canada’s highest court."

First Nations ultimatum: Site C dam or LNG, but not both: