Towards a fair comparison of hydro potential with that of other renewables

The keywords used to define hydropower potential are similar to those describing the potential of other renewables. However, they do not represent the same level of information, which can lead to flawed comparisons and erroneous conclusions. Policy makers may therefore be misled about the true potential for future hydro development relative to other sources, if definitions are inconsistent, or if data are not properly understood and interpreted. To facilitate fair comparisons of the potential of various energy sources, this article suggests more explicit keywords to describe hydro potential.