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Hydroelectricity in New Zealand

New Zealand gets an unusually large fraction of its electricity from hydroelectric generators and has a long history of pioneering hydroelectric technology. The hydroelectric powerhouse in Reefton provided electricity for the first set of electric street lights and the first publicly distributed electricity in the southern hemisphere, beginning operations in 1888.

The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand has useful background materials on hydroelectric plants in New Zealand. Click here.

 

The world's Largest Hydroelectric Plant

The largest hydroelectric power plant in the world is located in China. The Three Gorges Dam and generating station on the Yangtze is expected to produce more than 18,000 MW when fully operational in about 2009. The dam itself has been constructed. More information on the pbs website.

 

Small Scale Hydro Generators

The generation of electricity in remote locations far from the electricity grid can be challenging. One option is very small scale hydroelectric generator such as the one featured in the video. Click here for more information from NIWA.

 

On Demand and On Supply

Like solar energy and wind generators, hydroelectric generation is considered a relatively clean and renewable source of electrical energy. But hydroelectric generation offers a significant advantage over solar and wind generation. You can store water in a reservoir and generate the electricity when you need it (on demand) while solar and wind generation works only when the sun shines and the wind blows (on supply) which may not be when you want the electricity. In fact, there are hydroelectric plants that operate as large "batteries". These power plants store energy by pumping water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir when electricity is available and then generate electricity using the energy of water flowing from the higher to lower reservoir when the electricity is needed. More information.