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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Too much power? Solution for too much wind energy

There is no question that we often need to give away and export of electricity when demand is low and production is up.  Why not find ways to utilize all of our excess electricity when demand is low?  Doing this through heat storage curtails our fossil fuel consumption, and provides us with lower cost heating options.  Great concept.  Would love to see more test programs developed with the Ontario smart metering roll-out.

January 20, 2011

Possible solution to storing wind power

Column | Korky Koroluk

A simple, low-tech solution to the problem of storing wind power is undergoing testing in three small North American markets — one in Summerside, P.E.I., and two in Maine.

In the process, it is showing how alternative energy is able to offer new jobs for HVAC engineers and contractors.

The solution involves not centralized storage in one large plant, but “distributed” storage involving small ceramic heaters in peoples’ basements. It’s also being installed in a few small commercial buildings.

Critics have often criticized wind or solar energy installations because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. Intermittent sunshine has been overcome by building concentrating solar plants which, on sunny days, store energy as molten salts that are later used to produce steam turbines. It’s a system that is now being used in several places in the world, most notably Spain and the American Southwest.

Now researchers have come up with ceramic heaters, which are nothing more than extremely dense ceramic blocks in insulated cabinets. The blocks store energy as heat when the wind is blowing, then release it slowly over the next day or two.

The American experiments have been under construction for several months; the Summerside project is just beginning.

Prince Edward Island produces a lot of wind power. The problem is that the wind tends to blow more at night when energy demand is low. Because of this, the province has been selling some of that surplus energy to mainland markets, but at low rates.

But at a recent meeting of Summerside city council, homeowners were asked to buy the ceramic storage systems.

The heaters are expensive, though, at about $2,000 each. They are expected to save money over the long term, but that is often not sufficient to get people to act. That’s why the city is offering users a break on their electricity prices that could amount to about $600 a year. City fathers hope that will lead to at least 100 sales this year.

In Maine, getting people to convert to distributed wind energy is more urgent because oil is used to heat 80 per cent of all homes in the state. That’s why the incentive for switching off oil is somewhat sweeter.

For a start, the Highland Wind project developer, Independence Wind, is offering any participating household a $6,000 “wind for oil” grant. The money is to fund the purchase of one of the ceramic-block units, although it can be used for any renewable energy or efficiency investment.

In return for providing the storage, Highland Wind will supply wind power to residents at a deeply discounted price.

Fuel oil is presently running at about $3 (U.S.) a gallon. The discounted price will be equivalent to about $1.15 per gallon of oil.

The other Maine project involves Vinalhaven Island — an entire island with small communities dotted around it that has committed entirely to wind power. But like P.E.I., it has had to sell some off-hours power or shut down some of its turbines.

The project looks like a winner for the local economy, as well as individual users.

The total project is estimated to cost more than $210 million, most of which will go directly into the state economy through engineering, environmental, construction and related jobs. At peak construction, the project will bring more than 300 jobs to the local region. And every year, the project will pay more than $500,000 in state, local and county taxes.

That’s a lot of benefits for the application of what is really an old idea. There is, after all, nothing new about using ceramic blocks to store heat, and similar heaters are already in use in Britain to even out peak demand on its electricity grid.

But an old idea becomes new again if it means reduced reliance on oil.