Three Gorges Dam

A hydroelectric dam across the Yangtze River in Hubei, China. Its 22.5-gigawatt power station is the world’s largest by installed capacity.

Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated by converting the energy of moving or falling water. The dam converts water released from its reservoir into electricity.
Sun Yat-sen: A Chinese revolutionary and political leader who helped establish the Republic of China. His 1919 writings included a proposal for developing the Yangtze’s waterpower.
Resettlement: The relocation of people from places made uninhabitable or inaccessible by development or disaster. Reservoir filling displaced more than a million people from their homes.
Itaipu Dam: A hydroelectric dam on the Paraná River, jointly operated by Brazil and Paraguay. Itaipu is a close comparison in scale, though Three Gorges has greater installed capacity.
Reservoir-induced seismicity: Earthquake activity associated with the filling or operation of a reservoir. The weight and seepage of reservoir water prompt questions about local seismic risk.
Francis turbine: A reaction turbine that extracts energy from flowing water using pressure and motion. Most of the dam’s generating units use Francis turbines.
Yangtze River Conservancy Commission: A Chinese government agency responsible for planning and managing the Yangtze River basin. It coordinated key studies and planning for the dam project.
Sediment transport: The movement of mineral and organic particles through rivers and other environments. Reservoir trapping alters sediment delivery downstream and contributes to erosion concerns.
Hoover Dam: A concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River in the United States. Hoover offers a contrasting landmark of dam building and water management.
Climate change and hydropower: The interactions between a changing climate and electricity generated from water flows. Changing rainfall and drought patterns may alter the dam’s future output and operating constraints.

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