Chart assignment

Charts to read and discuss

Read each chart, then answer its questions. Every chart shows its source and date; open it for a table of the numbers and the data to download.

  1. How much of US electricity comes from hydropower?

Chart 1 of 1 · Energy

How much of US electricity comes from hydropower?

The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are on the chart's page.

Hydropower made 5.6% of US electricity in 2025, down from 32% in 1949. In 2025 dams made about as much as they did in 1970, while total generation had nearly tripled; the share also moves with rain and snow, dipping in dry years. The 2025 figures are preliminary.

Questions to discuss

  1. In one sentence of your own, what does this chart show?
  2. Find the biggest change or difference in the chart. What might explain it?
  3. Who collected these numbers, and how recent are they? What else would you want to know before drawing a conclusion?

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review (Table 7.2a) (Public domain (U.S. government work)) · Data as of Dec 31, 2025

Open the chart and its numbers

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