中国水电站
从19世纪末期开始，人类开始建造水电站利用水利资源发电。在诺森伯兰郡（ 英格兰最北部一郡，首府纽卡斯尔 ）的克拉格塞德是第一个住宅于1878年以水力发电供电[1]，而第一个商用水力发电厂在尼亚加拉大瀑布于1879年建成。 在1881年，在尼亚加拉瀑布城的路灯是由水力发电供电。
装机容量，全称“发电厂装机容量”，亦称“电站 容量”。指火电厂或水电站中所装有 的全部汽轮或水力发电机组额定功 率的总和。是表征一座火电厂或水 电站建设规模和电力生产能力的主 要指标之一。单位为“kW”。
电力系统的总装机容量是指该系统实际安装的发电机组额定有效功率的总和，以千瓦（kW）、兆瓦（MW）、吉瓦（GW）计（10的3次方进制）。
西藏境内 已经运营的水电站
街需水电站，其位于山南市藏木峡谷段内的街需村上游约2公里河段，是雅鲁藏布江干流中游桑日至加查峡谷段规划5级电站的第3个梯级（前两个梯级还未建造），工程静态总投资75亿元，于2014年开工，初拟装机容量51万千瓦，年发电量为25.76亿度，在水利工程的主要开发任务为发电，水库库容为3,620万立方米。
街需水电站下游为藏木水电站，位于西藏山南地区加查县拉绥乡藏木村 . 工程建设总投资约95亿元，装机容量为51万千瓦，年发电量约25亿度，于2015年10月全面投产运营。
藏木水电站(2014.11 --- 51万千瓦 )是我国在雅鲁藏布江干流上建设的第一座大型水电站，6台机组总装机容量51万千瓦，建设总投资96亿元，工期近8年，于2014年11月首台机组投产发电。
藏木水电站是西藏电力实现由10万千瓦级到50万千瓦级突破的标志性工程。电站的建成投产，缓解了西藏高成本燃油机组供电和冬春季节缺电的状况，替代燃油机组供电每年节约中央财政补贴约18亿元，还推动藏电外送，为后续梯级电站的开发及西藏清洁能源基地建设打下了坚实基础。
加查水电站 (2020.8----36万千瓦)
2020.8. 11，历时7年多建设的华能加查水电站首台机组正式并网发电，这是西藏目前单机容量最大的电站，单机容量为12万千瓦。
加查水电站是西藏自治区“十二五”开工、“十三五”发电的重点项目，总装机容量36万千瓦，设计年发电量17.05亿千瓦时
位于西藏山南桑日县的大古水电站是西藏自治区装机规模最大的内需电源项目，总投资122亿元。2016年12月主体工程开工建设，目前正在进行大坝、厂房混凝土浇筑和机电设备安装，计划今年年底大坝主体实现封顶，明年首台机组正式投产发电，2022年机组将全部投产。大古水电站的建成将意味着世界上海拔最高的碾压混凝土坝坐落于此，也是雅鲁藏布江上水头最高、装机容量最大的电站。
藏木水电站下游为加查水电站，位于西藏山南市加查县城上游约5.5公里处，距拉萨约300多公里，是雅鲁藏布江干流中游桑日至加查峡谷段规划5级电站的最后一级即第5级，库容2662万立方米，坝高84.5米，装机容量36万千瓦，年发电量17亿度。
从加查水电站再向下就到了雅鲁藏布江的中游了，这里第一座水电站是冷达水电站，接着是仲达水电站，下游接朗镇水电站。这三座水电站貌似还都没有开工，具体情况不详。
在雅鲁藏布江右岸一级支流夏布曲的中游，我国还建造了西藏拉洛水利枢纽及配套灌区工程电站（简称拉洛水电站），该工程已经于2020年年底竣工并投入运营，其主要由水利枢纽工程和灌区工程两部分组成，总库容2.965亿立方米，装有4台发电机组，每年可提供1亿度以上清洁电能。
https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404577017000493370&sudaref=www.baidu.com
走进深蓝|重磅！雅鲁藏布江下游水电开发决策敲定
冷达水电站（即将开工建设）位于雅鲁藏布江干流中游河段上，水坝位于山南市加查县境内，上游接加查水电站，下游接仲达水电站。正常蓄水位3203米，电站装机容量51万千瓦。
仲达水电站（待建）位于雅鲁藏布江干流中游河段上，坝址位于林芝市朗县境内，上游接冷达水电站，下游接朗镇水电站。正常蓄水位3152米，电站装机容量32万千瓦。
朗镇水电站（规划中）是目前规划中雅鲁藏布江最下游的一个水电站。为径流电站，设计装机容量34万千瓦。
苏洼龙水电站位于金沙江上游河段四川巴塘县和西藏芒康县的界河上，为规划中的金沙江上游13个梯级电站中的第10级，其上游为巴塘水电站，下游为昌波水电站。
是国家“西电东送”接续能源基地的先导工程，是西藏境内第一个装机容量超百万千瓦规模的大型水电工程。 计划2021年底首台机组投产发电。
The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1, US, near Niagara Falls, began to produce electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts.[10] By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the United States and Canada; and by 1889 there were 200 in the United States alone.[7]
The Warwick Castle water-powered generator house, used for the generation of electricity for the castle from 1894 until 1940
At the beginning of the 20th century, many small hydroelectric power stations were being constructed by commercial companies in mountains near metropolitan areas. Grenoble, France held the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism, with over one million visitors. By 1920, when 40% of the power produced in the United States was hydroelectric, the Federal Power Act was enacted into law. The Act created the Federal Power Commission to regulate hydroelectric power stations on federal land and water. As the power stations became larger, their associated dams developed additional purposes, including flood control, irrigation and navigation. Federal funding became necessary for large-scale development, and federally owned corporations, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority (1933) and the Bonneville Power Administration (1937) were created.[8] Additionally, the Bureau of Reclamation which had begun a series of western US irrigation projects in the early 20th century, was now constructing large hydroelectric projects such as the 1928 Hoover Dam.[11] The United States Army Corps of Engineers was also involved in hydroelectric development, completing the Bonneville Dam in 1937 and being recognized by the Flood Control Act of 1936 as the premier federal flood control agency.[12]
Hydroelectric power stations continued to become larger throughout the 20th century. Hydropower was referred to as white coal.[13] Hoover Dam's initial 1,345 MW power station was the world's largest hydroelectric power station in 1936; it was eclipsed by the 6,809 MW Grand Coulee Dam in 1942.[14] The Itaipu Dam opened in 1984 in South America as the largest, producing 14 GW, but was surpassed in 2008 by the Three Gorges Dam in China at 22.5 GW. Hydroelectricity would eventually supply some countries, including Norway, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Paraguay and Brazil, with over 85% of their electricity.