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Hydro electricity is one of the most efficient types of energy. It converts about 90 percent of the available energy into electricity, compared with fossil fuel plants which obtain only about 50 percent of the available energy. In the United States, hydro electricity accounts for about 13 percent of the total electricity supply in the United states and 70 percent in the Pacific North-West. In the Pacific North-West it provides two-thirds of the region's electricity supply. Currently, Hydro electric facilities can generate enough electricity to provide for 28 million households. This is equivilent to 500 million barrels of oil. The total hydropower capacity of the United States is about 95,000 megawatts. The under developed capacity is about 30,000 megawatts. Only three percent of the approximately 80,000 existing dams in the United States have hydropower facilities. |
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