Hydropower Gets Small Second Wind in Parts of Europe

摘要

Hydropower has for decades been the workhorse of renewable electricity generation in Europe. Since 2000, wind, solar photo-voltaics (PV) and other low-carbon technologies have chipped away at - but not overturned - its dominant position. Although wind and solar PV have posted double-digit annual growth for most of the last decade, European hydro capacity is still nearly twice that of these sectors combined, more than 190 gigawatts versus 112 GW for wind and solar at end-2010, according to the International Hydropower Association. With so much hydro already operational in Europe, the pace of growth in the sector has been slow in recent times, at 3% per year over the period 1990-2008, according to the International Energy Agency (WGI May4'11,p8).