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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
In the US, is all hydropower counted as renewable energy by federal and state governments?
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
By Seth Smalley
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NO
The Environmental Protection Agency defines only "low-impact small hydropower" as a renewable energy source. Some states also count only small hydropower facilities toward renewable energy targets. This is because large dams have significant ecological impacts, such as disrupting fisheries or silting rivers. Some states limit new hydropower construction.
The "fuel" for hydropower is the energy in fast-flowing water, which continues to flow through the turbines that convert the energy into electricity. Scientifically, hydropower is renewable, even if government agencies don't define it as such for the purposes of incentivizing new, low-impact renewable investments.
In 2019, hydropower accounted for 6.6% of overall U.S. electricity generation.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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