Hydropower supplied 8% of US electricity in 2011, and 62.5% of renewable electricity, according to federal statistics, and hydro advocates say it could provide twice as much if upgrades were made to aging power plants and new technology utilized in rivers and tidal estuaries.

But with the continuing depressed price of natural gas and looming expiration of hydro’s clean energy tax credits, prospects for taking better advantage of US water power are shrinking, financial experts told the National Hydropower Association conference in Washington DC this week. Keep reading →