Facts

Facts at a glance

• 83 units at 26 stations in Maine
• 360 megawatts
• Represents 2 percent of FPL Energy’s total generation

Fun Facts

• Of the renewable energy sources that generate electricity, hydropower is the most often used.
• Hydropower is one of the oldest sources of energy and was used thousands of years ago to turn a paddle wheel for purposes such as grinding grain
• The first industrial use of hydropower to generate electricity in the U.S. occurred in 1880, when lamps were powered using a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
• The first U.S. hydroelectric power plant opened on the Fox Fiver near Appleton, Wisconsin in 1882.
• Over one-half of the total U.S. hydroelectric capacity for electricity generation is concentrated in three states – Washington, California and Oregon.
• There are more than 75,000 dams in the U.S. but less than three percent produce electricity. Most dams were constructed solely to provide irrigation and flood control.