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Hydroelectric energy - Energie EDF

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Renewable energies<br />

These are very long-term, inexhaustible<br />

sources of primary <strong>energy</strong>, as they are<br />

directly or indirectly derived from solar<br />

<strong>energy</strong>, the earth’s <strong>energy</strong> or gravity.<br />

Renewable energies include solar<br />

<strong>energy</strong>, wind <strong>energy</strong>, hydro <strong>energy</strong><br />

(dams), the biomass (organic matter that<br />

releases <strong>energy</strong>, such as burning wood),<br />

geothermal <strong>energy</strong> that uses heat from<br />

the depths of the earth, and tidal<br />

<strong>energy</strong>. These <strong>energy</strong> forms do not<br />

become depleted and most of them are<br />

non-polluting.<br />

GLOBAL ELECTRICAL POWER OUTPUT IN 2009<br />

Source: Observ’ER 2010<br />

67.2%<br />

Fossil fuels (coal,<br />

petroleum, gas)<br />

16.1%<br />

Hydro<br />

13.5%<br />

Nuclear<br />

3.2%<br />

Others renewable<br />

energies<br />

hydro power producer<br />

<strong>EDF</strong> is the European Union’s leading hydro<br />

power producer, with more than 20,000 MW of<br />

installed capacity spread across nearly 450 hydro<br />

power sites, ranging from about 10 kW to<br />

several hundreds of MW. 70% of France’s<br />

hydroelectric <strong>energy</strong> potential, estimated at<br />

98 TWh/year, is currently being used. Hydro<br />

<strong>energy</strong> plays an instrumental role in France’s<br />

<strong>energy</strong> independence, saving the country as<br />

many as 13 million tons of oil every year.<br />

DID YOU KNOW?<br />

CLEAN AND ECONOMICAL<br />

While hydro power is dependent upon the<br />

vagaries of climate, it is nevertheless the only<br />

fi nancially viable source of renewable <strong>energy</strong>.<br />

7.5 BILLION CUBIC METRES<br />

The total volume of water stored in all <strong>EDF</strong> dams.<br />

05

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