US Hydropower

Council For International Development

Need for Energy

Perhaps nothing is more essential to economic development than an adequate - and efficient -- energy infrastructure. And yet, there are still areas of the world that do not have access to electricity. At the same time, increasing awareness of the environmental impact of carbon emissions threatens to curtail the growth of energy supplies, even in those areas most in need.

How do you balance the growing demand for energy with global concerns about the environment?

Sustainable development offers a solution...an opportunity to increase energy capacity without the corresponding cost to air quality. Today, hydropower represents the world's single largest and most well established source of renewable energy, supplying nearly one-fifth of current installed electrical capacity.

Already proven as an economically viable energy source, hydropower has enjoyed even greater attention with the growing awareness of -- and concern about -- climate changes created by fossil fuels. With new technology and a better appreciation of environmental issues created by all development, new hydro projects can be pursued in the most environmentally conscious manner. More than 20,000 MW of new hydro capacity is being installed each year. But it's estimated that as little as one third of the world's potential capacity has been tapped.

In recent years, a trend toward privatization has created a global market for hydro project development and investors. The U.S. Hydropower Council for International Development was created both to help those areas in need of additional energy resources to tap this tremendous potential and to facilitate access to the expertise and resources of U.S. hydropower industry.

1500 K Street NW #330 Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 383-2536 fax: (202) 383-2555, e-mail  : debbys@us-hydropower.org