Latin America & Caribbean | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)
Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants. 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.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
Latin America & Caribbean
Records
63
Source
Latin America & Caribbean | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
51.64790826 1971
53.27334268 1972
54.47647224 1973
56.78342594 1974
56.21177585 1975
57.5835787 1976
58.23172298 1977
57.29983919 1978
58.22910525 1979
58.88161894 1980
59.8736118 1981
60.05682362 1982
60.37929597 1983
61.99604042 1984
63.23915139 1985
62.10023885 1986
62.32667518 1987
61.90961108 1988
61.5914414 1989
62.80622291 1990
62.71329121 1991
62.5379265 1992
64.04066364 1993
63.07805123 1994
62.84002799 1995
62.62870369 1996
61.65894162 1997
59.53045108 1998
58.54968694 1999
58.63730625 2000
55.00723579 2001
55.49647992 2002
54.2946711 2003
54.47000065 2004
55.24893329 2005
55.68546282 2006
54.68483734 2007
53.85166836 2008
54.01564274 2009
52.41608811 2010
53.26499999 2011
50.16894658 2012
47.84164074 2013
46.72962352 2014
44.0291173 2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Latin America & Caribbean | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)
Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants. 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.
Publisher
The World Bank
Origin
Latin America & Caribbean
Records
63
Source