# data[].attributes.body
. Hydropower is one of the oldest power sources on the planet, generating power when flowing water spins a wheel or turbine. It was used by farmers as far back as ancient Greece for mechanical tasks like grinding grain. Hydropower is also a renewable energy source and produces no air pollution or toxic byproducts. Learn more about the history of hydropower.

9. When most people think of hydropower, they imagine the Hoover Dam – a huge facility storing the power of an entire river behind its walls – but hydropower facilities can be tiny too, taking advantage of water flows in municipal water facilities or irrigation ditches. They can even be “dam-less,” with diversions or run-of-river facilities channeling part of a stream through a powerhouse before the water rejoins the main river.

8. Niagara Falls was the site of the country’s first hydroelectric generating facility -- built in 1881 when Charles Brush connected a generator to turbines powered by the falls and used the electricity to power nighttime lighting for visiting tourists. America’s first commercial hydropower facility was built in 1882 in Appleton, Wisconsin -- powering lighting for a paper mill and multiple homes.

7. Every state uses hydropower for electricity, and some states use a lot of it. Over 70 percent of Washington State’s electricity comes from hydropower, and 11 states get more than 10 percent of their electricity from hydropower.

6. Hydropower costs less than most energy sources. States that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower, like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, have energy bills that are lower than the rest of the country.

5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
Sign Up for Email Updates

ABOUT ENERGY.GOV

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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
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ABOUT ENERGY.GOV

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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
Sign Up for Email Updates

ABOUT ENERGY.GOV

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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
Sign Up for Email Updates

ABOUT ENERGY.GOV

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Work with Us

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ENERGY.GOV RESOURCES

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5. Hydroelectricity provides about seven percent of the electricity generated in the United States and about half of the electricity from all renewable sources, finds the Energy Information Administration.

4. Some hydropower facilities can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, making them ideal for meeting sudden changes in demand for electricity. Because hydropower plants can dispatch power to the grid immediately, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout that affected the northeastern states and southern Canada. Read a report about other services hydropower can provide to the electric grid.

3. Another type of hydropower called pumped storage works like a battery, storing the electricity generated by other power sources like solar, wind, and nuclear for later use. It stores energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir at higher elevation from a second reservoir at a lower elevation. When the power is needed, the water is released and turns a turbine, generating electricity.

2. Devices at dams can help fish and other wildlife move freely around dams and between sections of rivers. Fish ladders and fish elevators are just some of the techniques used to help fish migrate.

1. Dams are built for a number of uses in addition to producing electricity, such as irrigation, shipping and navigation, flood control or to create reservoirs for recreational activities. In fact, only 3 percent of the nation’s 80,000 dams currently generate power. An Energy Department-funded study found that 12 gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity could be added to existing dams around the country. View the full report and the interactive map on the energy potential of non-powered dams.

LIZ HARTMAN

Liz Hartman is the Communications Lead for DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

1000 Independence Ave. SW
Washington DC 20585
202-586-5000
Sign Up for Email Updates

ABOUT ENERGY.GOV

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# data[].attributes.body
While propane gas is heavier than air, natural gas is lighter.

When cooled to -260 degrees F, natural gas becomes a liquid.

The natural gas dug out of the earth today was formed about 100 million years ago.

In its pure state, natural gas is odorless. However, because of its potentially explosive nature, utility companies add mercaptan to the gas to give it a rotten egg smell. This doesn’t affect the fuel’s performance, but it makes it easier to pinpoint a gas leak.

In the past decade, natural gas utilities have installed 30,000 miles of plastic pipelines per year. In total, more than 2.5 million miles of pipeline transport natural gas across the US. That’s enough to get to the moon and back five times!

In about 500 BC, the Chinese discovered places where natural gas seeped to the surface. They formed crude pipelines from bamboo shoots to transport the gas, using it to boil seawater. This separated the water from the salt, making the water palatable and providing salt to season food.

Natural gas was first used for cooking in Persia starting in the first century AD. Since pipes didn’t exist yet, the king of Persia built his royal kitchen next to a natural gas fissure to use as his own personal stove.

# data[].attributes.body
Burning - One way to release the energy from biomass is to burn it. The heat from burning biomass can be used to heat homes or to create steam which can then generate electricity. One example of this is burning a fire in your home. You burn the wood, which is the biomass, and it releases energy which heats your home. Methane gas - When biomass rots it produces methane gas. Methane gas can be used to make natural gas which is a common source of energy. This means that when garbage rots in landfills, that stinky gas can be used for energy! Biofuels - Some crops, like corn and sugar cane, can be converted into a biofuel called ethanol. Ethanol can be used instead of gasoline in many cars. Another type of biofuel is biodiesel. Biodiesel can be made from vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel can be used as heating oil and also to power cars and busses.

The methane gas from cow manure can be used to create energy. Most of the gasoline sold in the United States contains some ethanol. Garbage is burned for energy as well. This not only makes use of trash for energy, but reduces the amount of trash that goes into landfills. This process is called Waste-to-Energy. Farmers create energy from animal manure using tanks called digesters. The digesters produce biogas, which can be used to generate electricity. The main ingredient needed for ethanol is sugars. These sugars are found in plants such as corn, rice, sugar cane, barley, switch grass, and even grass clippings. Biodiesel is the fastest growing alternative fuel in the United States.

# data[].attributes.body
Coal is made largely of carbon but also features other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen.

Coal starts off as plant matter at the bottom of water. It is eventually covered and deeply buried by sediments where over time metamorphosis (a change in form) takes place.

Different types of coal contain different amounts of carbon. Lignite contains only around 60 to 75%, while anthracite contains more than 92%.

Anthracite is a hard, shiny, black coal that burns with a blue, smokeless flame. While most forms of coal are associated with sedimentary rock, anthracite undergoes metamorphism and is linked to metamorphic rocks.

Coal has long been burned to create electricity and heat. The use of coal is increasing every year, in 2006 the world consumed over 6,000,000,000,000 kilograms of coal!

Coal is the world’s largest source of energy for the production of electricity.

Coal is converted to electricity by being burned in a furnace with a boiler. The boiler water is heated until it becomes steam, with the steam then spinning turbines and generators to create the electricity.

Nearly 70% of China’s electricity comes from coal. In total, coal produces around 40% of the world’s electricity.

Coal mining and the subsequent burning of coal can have many bad effects on both humans and the environment. Examples of this include waste products, acid rain, contaminated water, poisonous emissions, high levels of carbon dioxide and increased risks of lung cancer for coal plant workers.

A popular saying among many cultures is that if you behave badly during the year, Santa will deliver you a lump of coal for Christmas.

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Continuous Power and Heat Delivered to Homes and Buildings. That's right. ...

Home Grown in the UK. ...

Electricity Not Only Heat. ...

One of the Lowest Carbon Footprints of Energy Sources. ...

Energy for 25% of Europe's Population. ...

Flexible Renewable Energy. ...

Cooling Functions. ...

Geothermal Energy = Affordable.