Representative solar power plant (solarpowerninja.com).

Hydroelectric power has historically been the primary source of renewable energy globally. However, as environmental groups began to intensify pressure on governments to observe the impact on the surrounding land and water, the industry has undergone growing pains but NOT to the extent of the U.S. nuclear power industry after the Three Mile Island incident in 1979, which essentially eliminated all expansion plans. In 2008, according to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) statistics, renewable energy sources including solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower only represented 7.3% of domestic energy supplied, whereas hydro was the predominant source by far. 

According to RenewableEnergyWorld.com, no Department of Energy (DOE) funding was approved for the hydropower industry in 2006 and 2007 under the Bush administration and that a major lobbying effort was necessary to have it restored in 2008. Even with the funding increase this year, the budget for the DOE water power program is significantly less than other sources of renewable energy. On the positive side, hydropower industry funding has quadrupled in 2009, from about US $10 million last year to $40 million this year. In contrast, the department has allocated $175 million this year for solar energy technologies and $55 million for wind technologies. 

The DOE budget this year includes money for conventional hydropower, such as power plants attached to dams and pumped storage, where water is pumped from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir to meet anticipated peaks in electricity demand. Furthermore, the 2009 budget is supposed to fund efforts to assess the current state of U.S. hydroelectric infrastructure and highlight opportunities for more efficient power generation at existing grid-connected stations. 

Part of the 2010 Obama administration budget for the DOE is planned to support ocean-based power, such as technologies that harness energy from tides and waves, which would be particularly valuable for densely populated cities along the coast such as: New York City, San Francisco and Boston, less prone to current transmission and grid complications. The DOE is focused on using the money to reduce barriers in the development and deployment of these technologies and projects such as more accurate ways to assess water-power potential. Funding will also be utilized for environmental studies and integrated national marine renewable energy centers that evaluate the impact of power stations on nature.  

The American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Obama stimulus package, which has millions of dollars for renewable energy and other clean energy tech projects, emphasized less developed and less mature utility power technologies such as solar and geothermal. It included $32 million specifically targeted for the industry to enhance existing hydropower infrastructure but not for emerging technologies; however research institutes may apply for specific general funding in the stimulus through grants to conduct research and development. In comparison, President Barack Obama announced in June that more than US $467 million from the Stimulus package will be allocated to expand development, deployment and use of geothermal ($350 million) and solar energy ($117 million) throughout the U.S. Part of the lesser funding for hydropower is associated with the land regulatory issue, while the point of the stimulus is of course to stimulate the economy. The president’s motivation was also to prevent a double-dip recession and ensure long-term economic growth. Funding for less-developed technologies such as solar, which can be inserted virtually anywhere in the country with minimal environmental impact once the costs are competitive, has the potential to create more (Green) jobs and germinate a brand-new supply chain.  

In comparison, The World Bank is now more supportive of hydropower’s future than past and present U.S. presidential administrations. In “Directions in Hydropower,” a newly issued publication on the World Bank Group’s views on the value of hydropower, the bank stated that hydropower now is viewed as a critical factor in addressing energy security, climate change, water security and regional cooperation. New World Bank lending for hydropower increased significantly, from less than $250 million per year from 2002-2004, to $500 million per year from 2005-2007. In fiscal year 2008, new funding for hydropower exceeded $1 billion, which is a far cry from when financial support plunged in 1999 due to growing opposition from environmental and other non-governmental organizations.

Numerous U.S. states have increased their emphasis on renewable energy such as solar by approving mandates that a designated percentage of power generated for the state must be from a clean energy source, as opposed to conventional fossil fuels or nuclear, which generates radioactive waste that is difficult to contain and store. Recently, four states including: Maine, Nevada, West Virginia, and Kansas have approved new renewable energy standards, according to a recent article in RenewableEnergyWorld.com.  Even Arizona is turning the tide in favor of solar power in its historic passing of SB 1403 to entice solar equipment companies into the state. Moreover, the solar industry has been much more persuasive than hydropower advocates in lobbying for current U.S. legislation such as: the U.S. renewable energy standards, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, and clean energy financing.

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For more info: U.S. DOE website- http://www.energy.gov/, World Bank website-http://www.worldbank.org/