A briefing published by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) states that 39GW of new hydropower capacity was placed into operation in 2014, with a further 1.46GW of pumped storage added, bringing the world’s total installed hydropower capacity to 1055GW at the end of the year.
The 2015 Key Trends in Hydropower briefing draws on statistics from the IHA’s hydro database, which holds records on 10,000+ grid-connected hydropower stations worldwide. It features breakdowns of total and new capacity by region and key countries. Over half of the capacity added in 2014 was in China, with 21.25GW hydro and an additional 0.6GW of pumped hydro installed. Other active countries include Brazil (+3.3 GW), Malaysia (+3.3 GW), Canada (+1.7 GW), Turkey (+1.4 GW), India (+1.2 GW), and Russia (+1.1 GW).
The briefing also discusses key trends and noteworthy developments in 2014, including increasing interconnections, a shake-up in manufacturing, more activity in ‘mature’ markets, and new sources of finance and investment.
"This new information shows that hydropower’s strong growth trend around the world is continuing," commented Richard Taylor, chief executive of the International Hydropower Association. "The role of hydropower is being increasingly recognised, not just in terms of clean energy generation, but also the contribution it can make in providing a range of water services and solutions to climate change."
You can download 2015 Key Trends in Hydropower in full at www.hydropower.org/publications.
The new data is being released to mark the start of the 2015 World Hydropower Congress, taking place in Beijing on 19-21 May. The congress brings together 1,000 representatives of government, civil society, industry, the finance sector and academia to discuss hydropower’s role in addressing the world’s water and energy challenges. For more details visit the congress website at http://www.hydropower.org/congress.
