Hydropower is a known renewable energy resource that provides substantial benefits to our wealth, our health, and to our global economy. There are five types of renewable energy that we can use daily throughout our lives, but the most common form of renewable energy is hydroelectricity. Hydropower is electricity created by converting the kinetic energy of flowing water. The best thing about this energy source is that it is timeless and renewable, meaning it will never run out, but we had to find ways to store this energy. In order to harness this energy for other people, they had to build generators that converted all the potential energy of the fast-moving water into electrical energy. (http://www.ems.psu.edu/~elsworth/courses/cause2003/finalprojects/vikingpaper.pdf) Hydroelectric power captures the buoyancy released by descending water. Two thousand years ago, the ancient Greeks used wooden waterwheels to convert kinetic energy into mechanical energy, as that was all they had at the time. However, in 1882, the first hydroelectric power station was built in the United States using a fast-flowing river. Around this time, humans began building dams to reserve water for the most suitable locations or areas to make the best use of electrical capacity. Technical and structural changes have been multiplied to design a more efficient hydroelectric plant, but for this to happen, it was necessary to go through a very difficult process which can cause many conflicts. (http://www.ems.psu.edu/~elsworth/courses/cause2003/finalprojects/vikingpaper.pdf)Hydroelectric power plants can be classified into four different size ranges: micro, mini, small and large. The smallest hydroelectric...... middle of paper...... capacity. In some jurisdictions, there are few hydroelectric projects that are not considered sustainable energy sources due to their human and environmental effects, but depend on the sustainability used. (Lamb)Hydroelectricity is a renewable source that can be used for years and can be developed in different ways. It can also produce energy from running water without reducing its quantity and can be used with other renewable sources that promote energy. Hydropower contributes to the storage of drinking water by collecting rainwater, which can then be used for irrigation; however, it can also improve the air you breathe because it does not release any toxins or pollutants. For a century, hydropower has brought long-term environmental improvements and can continue to do so for many years to come due to the affordability of the technology. (Lamb)