The Department of Energy (DOE) in July released a new report that assesses the future of hydropower through 2050. "Hydropower Vision: A New Chapter for America's First Renewable Electricity Source" finds that with continued technology advancements, innovative market mechanisms, and a focus on environmental sustainability, hydropower in the United States could grow from 101-GW to nearly 150-GW of combined electricity generation and storage capacity by 2050. Today, only 3 percent of the nations dams currently generate electricity. The report highlights key advances in pumped-storage, which can create an additional 36-GW of capacity. As more of the nation's electricity comes from wind and solar energy, hydropower and pumped-storage hydropower resources can provide the flexibility and reliability the electricity grid needs to deliver affordable clean energy to American homes and businesses. Additionally, the report looks at the public health and environmental benefits. Between now and 2050, hydropower could save $209 billion from avoided damages from greenhouse gas emissions; $58 billion from avoided healthcare costs and economic damages due to air pollution; and 30-trillion-gal of water that would otherwise be used for steam generation or power plant cooling.
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