How hydroelectricity will help power Asia’s future in 21st century
- World’s largest form of renewable power contributes to 15.9 per cent of global electricity, with China home to planet’s largest hydropower plant
- Sarawak, Malaysia’s largest state, plans to harness hydropower not only for its energy-generating potential but also to create about 3,500 jobs
It’s tempting to imagine hydropower as a relatively modern phenomenon – born in the 1950s and really taking root only in the 21st century.
Yet, that would ignore the fact that humans have been harnessing the power of water for well over 2,000 years, ever since the ancient Greeks used running streams to move wheels for the purposes of grinding grain.
Fast-forward two millenniums and it has become one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of generating electricity.
The world still has a long way to go before realising the dream of universal, clean energy.
Bob Dudley, BP’s group chief executive, said in the company’s Statistical Review of World Energy Report 2019 that although renewable energy is growing far more rapidly than any other form of power, it still supplies only a third of the required increase in power generation – about the same amount as coal.
Governments increasingly recognise hydropower as playing a vital role in national strategies for delivering affordable and clean energy, managing fresh water, combating climate change and improving livelihoods
