Global hydropower capacity seen to exceed 1,000 GW in 2020

Mar 15, 2012 - The world's installed hydropower capacity is to expand at a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6% by the end of the decade, until it reaches 1,051.1 GW in 2020, GBI Research says in a market report.

Hydropower is currently the most widely adopted renewable energy resource. In 2010, 93% of the global installed renewable energy capacity came from hydropower plants (HPPs). Even though the share of other green energy sources is growing, GBI expects that hydropower would still bring the bigger portion, or about 59.8% of all renewable energy installations by 2020.

The market intelligence firm sees global hydropower output rising from 2,483.5 GWh to 3,491.8 GWh between 2011 and 2020 at a CAGR of 3.5%.

In its report, GBI focuses on the untapped hydropower potential in Latin America and Africa, which, according to the company, will turn into major hydropower markets by 2020. GBI sees Ethiopia's hydropower capacity growing at a CAGR of 26.9% in the 2011-2020 period to 16.7 GW. Hydropower in Mozambique is to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% to exceed 6.78 GW. In Latin America, Venezuela and Mexico's hydropower markets are to expand at a CAGR of 4.8% and 2.9% respectively, to over 23.15 GW and 14.9 GW by the end of the current decade, the company projects.

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