Donate

Hydropower

Four men stand outside in a valley near a river bed

Small hydropower plants threaten Montenegro’s last free-flowing rivers in a bid for cleaner energy

As Montenegro shifts from coal toward cleaner energy, new hydropower plants are springing up all over the Balkan region. But renewable energy doesn’t always mean green.

China highlands

A new book documents China’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources

Environment

China’s hydropower ambitions

Environment
The World

Bhutan’s Hydropower Challenge

Environment
The World

Efficiency Over Hydropower in New York?

Few Large Dams Still Being built

Though hydropower provides nearly one-fifth of the world’s electricity, fewer and fewer large dams are being built. Steve asks the World Resources Institute’s Mohammed El Ashry if the dream of plentiful electricity is vanishing.

Damming the Developing World

Interest in building big dams may be waning in the United States, but developing nations are increasingly turning to hydropower to support their growing economies  ? often with help from Chinese engineers.

The World

Himalayan Hydropower

The mountains of Nepal funnel water to some of the most powerful rivers in southern Asia. Now, despite environmental and financial concerns, small-scale hydropower projects are supplying electricity to Nepalese villages, Buddhist temples and even Internet cafes. Reporter Cheryl Colopy has our story.

The World

Emerging Science Note/Water Power

Living on Earth’s Jennifer Chu reports on a new development that could create electricity from water.

The World

Manitoba Hydro Power

As the need for electricity continues to soar, some are looking to hydropower as a cheap and clean energy source. But plans to expand hydropower in Manitoba, Canada have divided a community of Cree Indians. Some say the fourteen dams used for hydro on Cree land have caused environmental damage, and no new deals should […]