History of Hydropower

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Three Main Points

  • Hydropower has been a staple of civilizations for thousands of years 
  • “Modern” hydropower – harnessing the natural motion/flow of water to produce energy – has been used in the U.S. since the 1880’s 
  • Alternating current technology has allowed the U.S. to develop and accelerate the innovation of hydropower technologies of the past 150 years. 

When Was Hydropower Invented?

Humans have been harnessing water to perform work for thousands of years. The Greeks used water wheels to grind wheat into flour more than 2,000 years ago. Two hundred years earlier, the Egyptians used Archimedes water screws for irrigation. The birth of the modern hydropower turbine began in the mid-1700s, when a French hydraulic and military engineer, Bernard Forest de Bélidor, wrote the groundbreaking Architecture Hydraulique. This work explored how growing societies can use their water resources to fill power and other basic needs.

In 1880, a dynamo, a device that converts mechanical energy into electric energy, powered by a water turbine provided power to a theatre and storefront in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1881, a dynamo connected to a turbine in a flour mill supplied power to street lights in Niagara Falls, New York. In both instances, the dynamos and turbines used direct current technology. Direct current power is effective over short distances. However, it is unable to carry large quantities of power over long distances which is not ideal for building out a national grid.

A breakthrough in alternating current allowed power to be transmitted longer distances. This ushered in the first U.S. commercial hydropower facility. In 1893, the Redlands Power Plant in California came online. It used the natural flow of water from the nearby Mill Creek to power communities via alternating current technology. The success of the Redlands Power Plant, and other facilities across the country, helped position alternating current to become the primary method of transmission it is today.

In the past century, many innovations have enabled hydropower to become an integral part of the energy mix in the United States. Find out more about the last 100 years of hydropower with this timeline.

Timeline

Bureau of Reclamation Established

1902: The Bureau of Reclamation becomes involved in hydropower development to provide water resource management to the arid western areas of the United States. Today, the Bureau of Reclamation is the second largest producer of hydropower in the nation.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Build Hydroelectric Plants

1920: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized by Congress to build hydroelectric plants in the 1920s. Today, the Corps is the fifth largest electric supplier in the United States operating 75 power plants.

First Major Pumped Storage Plant

1929: To increase the hydropower capacity of the Housatonic River, Connecticut Light and Power begins flooding what will become Candlewood Lake. They also build the Rocky River Plant in New Milford, the first large-scale pumped-storage development in the United States.

Tennessee Valley Authority Established

1933: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is tasked with controlling flooding and opening the Tennessee River for navigation. Today, the TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams and a pumped-storage facility throughout the Tennessee River system.

Federal Power Commission Now Independent Regulatory Agency

1935: The Federal Power Commission’s authority is extended to all hydroelectric projects built by publicly or privately-owned utilities engaged in interstate commerce.

Hoover Dam Built

1936: The Hoover Dam is completed on the border of Nevada and Arizona on the Colorado River. The dam was created for three purposes: providing irrigation water, controlling floods, and supplying power.

Bonneville Power Administration Established

1937: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Bonneville Project Act to establish the Bonneville Power Administration. The Bonneville Lock and Dam, located on the Columbia and Snake Rivers between Washington and Oregon, begins operation in September 1937.

New Deal Increases Hydropower

1940: President Roosevelt’s New Deal construction programs give a massive boost to hydroelectric generation. In 1940, hydropower accounts for a full 40% of electrical generation in the United States—more than tripling the capacity from 1920. The programs also provide employment opportunities for American workers. For example, the construction of Fort Peck Dam in Montana employs 10,500 workers.

Environmental Regulations Launched

1968-1974: A more environmentally conscious nation under President Richard Nixon launches regulations designed to ensure protection of the United States’ natural resources, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

Bath County Pumped Storage Plant Begins Operations

1985: Nicknamed the “Quiet Giant,” this Bath County, Virginia, plant was the world’s largest pumped storage plant from 1985 until 2005. It regained its position at the top of the list after a refurbishment of its six turbines in 2009. It lasted at the top until 2024. The station currently has a generating capacity of 3 gigawatts and supplies power for residents and businesses across six states.

Hydropower Research Foundation Established

1994: The National Hydropower Association establishes the Hydropower Research Foundation to facilitate research and promote reliable, affordable hydropower.

President Signs Energy Policy Act of 2005

July 29, 2005: President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act into law as an attempt to combat growing energy problems. The act changed U.S. energy policy by providing tax incentives and loan guarantees for energy production of various types including hydropower.

DOE Upgrades Hydropower Facilities

2009: DOE’s Water Power Program invests in upgrades to the nation’s existing hydropower facilities with the support of Recovery Act funding. These upgrades offer both communities and utilities the opportunity to make hydropower even more cost effective and productive.

Bills Boost Small Hydro

Aug. 9, 2013: The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act and the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act are signed into law by President Obama. These Acts aim to boost the development of small U.S. hydropower.

Hydropower Vision Report Released

July 26, 2016: The Hydropower Vision report is released. It establishes an ambitious roadmap to usher in a new era of growth in sustainable domestic hydropower over the next half century.

HydroWIRES Initiative Is Launched

2019: The HydroWIRES (Water Innovation for a Resilient Electricity System) Initiative is launched with a goal of understanding, enabling, and improving hydropower's contributions to reliability, resilience, and integration in the rapidly evolving U.S. electricity system.

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