Hydroelectric power is currently the world’s largest renewable source of electricity. It accounts for six percent of the worldwide energy supply or about fifteen percent of the world’s electricity. In Canada alone hydroelectric power provides sixty percent of their electrical needs.

Hydroelectric power plants such as the Hoover Dam, used in the United States, convert kinetic energy contained in falling water into electricity. This form of energy is the most common form of renewable energy in use today. The energy in flowing water is ultimately derived from the sun; therefore, it is constantly being renewed.

Since moving water in 1882 first produced electricity, hydroelectric power has continued to play a major role in the expansion of electrical service. Contemporary hydroelectric power plants generate enough energy to supply a single reside

Because of environmental concerns, and economic constraints, the actual amount of electricity, which will ever be generated by hydropower, will be less than the theoretical potential. “Small scale and low head hydro capacity will probably increase in the future as research on low head turbines, and standardized turbine production, lowers the costs of hydroelectric power at sites with low heads”.3

Wind power can generate small amounts of electricity. “Windmills have been used to grind grain, pump water, and power small electric generators.”8 The reliability and efficiency of wind turbines have improved; the cost of wind-generated electricity has come down. Wind farms, are now producing pollution-free, sustainable power. “The American Wind Energy Association calculates that wind farms located throughout the Midwest could meet the electrical needs for the entire country, while the land beneath the turbines could still be used for farming.“8

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