European Union - Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)

Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) in European Union was 11.67 as of 2015. Its highest value over the past 55 years was 35.60 in 1960, while its lowest value was 10.46 in 2007.

Definition: Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants.

Source: IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/

See also:

Year Value
1960 35.60
1961 33.48
1962 30.67
1963 31.54
1964 27.42
1965 29.33
1966 30.07
1967 27.43
1968 25.95
1969 23.19
1970 21.00
1971 20.41
1972 19.84
1973 18.33
1974 19.08
1975 19.04
1976 15.20
1977 19.62
1978 18.10
1979 18.23
1980 16.82
1981 16.51
1982 16.10
1983 15.94
1984 15.45
1985 14.83
1986 13.64
1987 14.47
1988 14.97
1989 11.92
1990 12.63
1991 12.94
1992 13.55
1993 13.89
1994 14.10
1995 13.69
1996 13.29
1997 13.41
1998 13.57
1999 13.37
2000 13.37
2001 13.86
2002 11.53
2003 10.89
2004 11.26
2005 10.65
2006 10.58
2007 10.46
2008 11.01
2009 11.73
2010 12.63
2011 10.55
2012 11.38
2013 12.73
2014 13.07
2015 11.67

Development Relevance: Electrical energy from hydropower is derived from turbines being driven by flowing water in rivers, with or without man-made dams forming reservoirs. Presently, hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable electricity. Hydropower represents the largest share of renewable electricity production. It was second only to wind power for new-built capacities between 2005 and 2010. IEA estimates that hydropower could produce up to 6,000 terawatt-hours in 2050, roughly twice as much as today. Hydropower's storage capacity and fast response characteristics are especially valuable to meet sudden fluctuations in electricity demand and to match supply from less flexible electricity sources and variable renewable sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power. Use of energy is important in improving people's standard of living. But electricity generation also can damage the environment. Whether such damage occurs depends largely on how electricity is generated. For example, burning coal releases twice as much carbon dioxide - a major contributor to global warming - as does burning an equivalent amount of natural gas. Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions result primarily from fossil fuel combustion and cement manufacturing. In combustion different fossil fuels release different amounts of carbon dioxide for the same level of energy use: oil releases about 50 percent more carbon dioxide than natural gas, and coal releases about twice as much. Nuclear energy does not generate carbon dioxide emissions, but it produces other dangerous waste products.

Limitations and Exceptions: IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes. For example, the IEA has constructed historical energy statistics for countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, energy statistics for other countries have undergone continuous changes in coverage or methodology in recent years as more detailed energy accounts have become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Electricity production is total number of kWh generated by power plants separated into electricity plants and CHP plants. The International Energy Agency (IEA) compiles data on energy inputs used to generate electricity. IEA data for countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are based on national energy data adjusted to conform to annual questionnaires completed by OECD member governments. In addition, estimates are sometimes made to complete major aggregates from which key data are missing, and adjustments are made to compensate for differences in definitions. The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Energy production & use