Three Gorges Dam Today. Image - Bloomberg
Well over twenty years ago, I visited the Three Gorges HEP Dam in China - while it was in its final stages of construction.
A much younger author in front of the main dam wall and turbines in their final stages of construction. Image - Allison Berry
Scale model of the proposed site. Image - Paul Berry
Hydroelectricity is the world's biggest source of renewable energy - according to recent figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), it represents 40% of total capacity, ahead of solar (28%) and wind (27%).
The 'Visual Capitalist' web site recently produced a wonderful infographic of the 5 largest hydro-electric power stations from across the world, with the Three Gorges Dam at the top of the list:
The following table lists key information about the five dams shown in this graphic, as of 2021. Installed capacity is the maximum amount of power that a plant can generate under full load.
| Country | Dam | River | Installed Capacity
(gigawatts) | Dimensions
(meters) |
|---|
 China | Three Gorges Dam | Yangtze River | 22.5 | 181 x 2,335 |
 Brazil /  Paraguay | Itaipu Dam | Parana River | 14.0 | 196 x 7,919 |
| China | Xiluodu Dam | Jinsha River | 13.9 | 286 x 700 |
| Brazil | Belo Monte Dam | Xingu River | 11.2 | 90 X 3,545 |
 Venezuela | Guri Dam | Caroni River | 10.2 | 162 x 7,426 |
For comparison, here is the installed capacity of the world's three largest solar power plants, also as of 2021:
- Bhadla Solar Park, India: 2.2 GW
- Hainan Solar Park, China: 2.2 GW
- Pavagada Solar Park, India: 2.1 GW
Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam cost over $32 billion to construct.
- The Three Gorges Reservoir (which feeds the dam) contains 39 trillion kg of water (42 billion tons)
- In terms of area, the reservoir spans 400 square miles (1,045 square km)
- The mass of this reservoir is large enough to slow the earth's rotation by 0.06 microseconds
But there are environmental consequences. It has been found that the dam has triggered over 3,000 earthquakes and landslides since 2003. Flooding of new areas of land has disrupted wildlife and degraded water quality. The dam has also disrupted the natural flow of the Yangtze river and brought flooding and food insecurity to those living downstream from the dam.
It would be amazing to return to the site now, and compare those earlier photographs. One day .......
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