Hydropower, the “forgotten giant” of low-carbon electricity, will need major policy support to help accelerate the expansion of solar and wind power and put the world on track for net-zero goals, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday. Hydropower currently provides one-sixth of global electricity generation and is the single largest source of low-carbon power—and more than all other renewables combined, the IEA estimates. In 2020, hydropower was the third?largest electricity generation source after coal and natural gas, the Paris-based agency said in its first report on this energy source, Hydropower Special Market Report. Global hydropower capacity has jumped by 70 percent over the past 20 years, but its share of electricity generation has remained stable because of increased generation from wind, solar, natural gas, and coal-fired capacity, according to the IEA. This decade, hydropower capacity worldwide is forecast to rise by 17 percent, driven by China, India, […]