HF MISSION AND HISTORY

MISSION – ADVANCING HYDROPOWER TO PROVIDE CLEAN, AFFORDABLE ELECTRICITY FOR THE FUTURE.

VISION – SUPPORTING THE HYDROPOWER COMMUNITY BY DIRECTING TALENT AND RESOURCES TO HYDROPOWER’S MOST PROMISING OPPORTUNITIES AND MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES.

About the Hydropower Foundation
 
The Hydropower Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicating to advancing the contributions of hydropower to United States’ electricity supplies. We believe that by increasing supplies of clean, affordable energy from “the power of water,” many people will realize important benefits. Founded in 1994 (as the Hydro Research Foundation), the Foundation was renamed in 2018 to embrace the broadened scope of its focus and activities. The Foundation is chartered in the US as a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization.

Why support the foundation?
When you support the Hydropower foundation, you are supporting hydropower and the industry that it serves.  Everything we do is to help further the future of hydropower by being the conduit between academia and industry.  We want jobs to be found by quality students who are interested in pursuing hydropower and we want industry to find such quality applicants for their open positions.  We can’t do this work without the support of our friends in hydropower.  Run, walk, trot or sleep in, but please make sure that you are supporting hydropower by supporting the Hydropower Foundation.

Why Hydropower?
 
Since the advent of commercial electricity in the 1880s, hydropower has provided a core of clean, affordable electricity in many of the worlds’ electrical networks. In some places hydropower is the backbone of electricity supply – e.g., Norway, Brazil, and the Canadian Province of Quebec, and – in the US – in the Pacific Northwest. 
 
Worldwide, about 20 percent of all electrical energy is produced from hydropower; in the US about 6 percent is from hydro. Plant’s range in size from China’s gigantic Three Gorges project (22,500 megawatts) to backyard installations that produce only a few hundred watts. Historically, hydro projects were built as the most economical electricity source. The long-term reality has typically been far better than originally expected since many projects have far exceeded the anticipated economic benefits, most often a result of long lifetimes. More and more hydro facilities are passing the milestone of operating for more than 100 years. 
 
In addition, the major benefit of hydropower’s “clean” attributes have taken on new importance.  Another key benefit demonstrated by hydro is its adaptability. The operating regime of many hydro facilities has dramatically changed over their lifetimes, often from supplying baseload power to providing peaking service. In the current era, existing hydro has been a boon for many electricity networks by enabling them to accommodate increasing amounts of variable electricity supplies, especially from wind and solar sources.
 
While hydropower has a grand legacy as a provider of electricity, the hydropower community faces many challenges. These are among the challenges that the Hydropower Foundation seeks to address: 

• Adapting and transforming hydro-related technologies to take advantage of scientific and technical advances.
• Meeting the demands of environmental priorities and regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring the availability of adequately educated and trained personnel.