Hydropower Market Report 2026: Key Stats, Figures & Insights

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Executive Summary: World Hydropower Outlook [2026]

• Industry Growth Overview: The hydropower industry shows a slight contraction with a yearly growth rate of -0.38%. Moreover, the global market is expected to reach USD 422.2 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 4.43%.
• Manpower & Employment Growth: The global hydropower workforce stands at about 1.5 million people, with employment growing by 108+ employees in the last year.
• Patents: The industry records around 30 000 patents from 16 400+ applicants, with yearly patent growth at 10.48%. China and the USA are the leading patent jurisdictions.
• Global Footprint: The US, India, UK, Canada, and Australia are the top country hubs. On a city level, London, Dubai, Bangalore, New York City, and Melbourne lead hydropower-related innovation and startup activity.
• Investment Landscape: The sector has seen 1200+ funding rounds, with an average investment value of ~USD 150.7 million per round. Over 854 investors have backed 410+ companies.
• Top Investors: Leading investors such as Apollo Global, TGM Industrial, Statkraft, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and others collectively invested more than USD 13.81 billion in hydropower-related businesses.
• Startup Ecosystem: Innovative startups such as Foil-O-Ecology (beluga fin-inspired hydroturbines), Hydro PowerPlus (plant power enhancement), Gaia Turbine (high-performance hydraulic turbines), HydroPeak (micro-pumped energy storage), and OdelEnergy (hyperlocal small power plants) showcase the sector’s global reach and entrepreneurial activity.

Methodology: How we created this Global Hydropower Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9 million global companies, 20K+ technologies and trends, as well as 150M patents, news articles, and market reports.

This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 9 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of hydropower over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

• Total Companies working in the sector
• News Coverage and Industry Growth
• Market Maturity and Patents
• Global Search Volume and Growth
• Funding Activity and Top Countries
• Subtrends within the hydropower industry

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the hydropower market.

What Data is used to create this Hydropower Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the hydropower market stands out in the following categories relative to the 20K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

• News Coverage & Publications: The industry recorded 3470+ publications, reflecting sustained research and industry attention.
• Funding Rounds: More than 1200 funding rounds highlight continued capital allocation across hydropower assets, modernization, and enabling technologies.
• Manpower: The sector employs 1.5 million workers globally, and 108+ people joined the workforce over the last year.
• Patents: Globally, around 30 000 patents were filed by 16400+ applicants, indicating strong intellectual property activity.
• Yearly Global Search Growth: Worldwide search interest declined by 38.09% over the past five years, suggesting softer public search attention despite continued industrial activity.

Explore the Data-driven Hydropower Market Report for 2026

The global hydropower market is expected to expand from USD 261.8 billion in 2024 to USD 422.2 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 4.43% over the forecast period.

Additionally, over the past 20 years, global hydropower capacity has increased by ~70%.

In parallel, our platform data indicates that the hydropower industry recorded a –0.38% yearly growth rate, suggesting a mature market where activity is driven more by asset upgrades, operational optimization, and targeted expansion than by rapid new company formation.

At present, large hydropower accounts for over 45% of the market share. However, the small hydropower segment is projected to expand at a faster pace, with an expected growth rate of 5.37% during the forecast period.

Whereas, Grand View Research reports that in 2024, large and medium hydropower plants accounted for the largest share of global installed capacity at 50%, followed by small hydropower with 28%. Mini hydropower contributed 13%, while micro and pico hydropower systems made up the remaining 9%.

From a regional perspective, the Asia Pacific led the hydropower market in 2024, capturing a revenue share of 37.38%.

Moreover, our platform data reveals that the leading country hubs for hydropower innovation include the US, India, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Key city hubs such as London, Dubai, Bangalore, New York City, and Melbourne show concentrated activity.

A Snapshot of the Global Hydropower Market

According to our platform data, the hydropower industry is home to 1470+ startups from a wider pool of over 5700 companies, showing a mature yet actively innovating sector.

While the overall yearly industry growth is -0.38%, this decline is modest and mainly reflects consolidation and long asset cycles rather than diminishing market relevance.

From a workforce perspective, hydropower’s 1.5 million employees underline its role as a core renewable generation segment. The addition of 108+ employees in the last year indicates ongoing hiring linked to operations, refurbishment programs, and engineering-led modernization.

Innovation activity remains visible through IP signals. The market records 30 000+ patents from more than 16 400 applicants, with 10.48% yearly patent growth.

According to a 2024 WIPO report, patent applications related to hydro energy accounted for 11.4% of total energy-related patent filings between 2020 and 2022, alongside technologies such as solar, wind, fuel cells, and geothermal energy. Also, China held the largest share of published hydro energy patent applications worldwide, accounting for 39.9% of the total.

This is supported by our platform data that reveals China (24 250+) and the USA (1110+) are the leading patent issuers globally.

To add to this, according to Root Analysis, China dominates global hydropower generation, followed by Brazil, the USA, and Canada.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Hydropower Market

Our platform data shows that the average investment value per round is USD 150.7 million. This reflects sustained investor participation in infrastructure-led projects, modernization programs, and technology deployments that improve efficiency, reliability, and long-term asset performance.

More than 850 investors are active in the sector, contributing to a diversified funding ecosystem that supports equipment suppliers, project developers, and engineering-led innovation across plant upgrades and operational optimization.

Over 1200 funding rounds have closed. This indicates a steady investment pipeline that enables companies to finance upgrades, expand operational footprints, and deploy supporting technologies across hydropower assets.

Investors have funded 410+ companies, reflecting broad confidence in scalable hydropower business models that combine long-lived infrastructure with performance-focused modernization.

Who is Investing in the Hydropower Market?

The combined value invested by the top hydropower investors exceeds USD 13.81 billion, illustrating concentrated financial support from a mix of infrastructure investors, strategic energy players, and institutional capital.

Key investors include:

• Apollo Global invested USD 2 billion across 2 companies. Apollo Funds has agreed to acquire Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, a US-based independent hydropower operator that manages 85 facilities across 18 states with a total installed capacity of 700 MW.
• TGM Industrial invested USD 2 billion in at least one company.
• Statkraft invested USD 1.9 billion across 4 companies.
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan invested USD 1.8 billion in at least one company.
• Contact Energy invested USD 1.1 billion in at least one company.
• SDIC Power invested USD 1.1 billion in at least one company.
• Global Infrastructure Partners invested USD 1 billion in at least one company.
• Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners invested USD 1 billion in at least one company.
• Rabobank invested USD 1 billion in at least one company.
• Nordic Investment Bank invested USD 911.1 million across 6 companies.

Top Hydropower Innovations & Trends

Within the broader hydropower landscape, three trends stand out based on firmographic data – company counts, employment, and growth rates.

Micro Hydropower

• Annual trend growth rate: 2.35%
• 120+ companies identified
• Over 8900 employees worldwide
• ~2 new employees joined in the last year

Micro hydropower supports localized electricity generation through smaller-scale installations that can be deployed in distributed settings. The positive growth rate indicates continued development where site-specific generation, flexibility, and smaller infrastructure footprints matter.

Hydropower Engineering

• Annual trend growth rate: 1.28%
• 210+ companies identified
• Over 39 500 employees worldwide
• 3+ new employees joined in the last year

Hydropower engineering covers design, refurbishment, and optimization work across hydropower facilities and supporting systems. The sizable workforce points to ongoing modernization and long-term asset lifecycle activity, including upgrades that improve reliability and operational efficiency.

Hydraulic Turbines

• Annual trend growth rate: -0.73%
• 530+ companies identified
• Over 41 700 employees worldwide
• 9+ new employees joined in the last year

Hydraulic turbines remain foundational to hydropower performance and plant output. While company growth is slightly negative, the large number of companies and employees indicates sustained industrial depth tied to maintenance, retrofits, and efficiency improvements across installed fleets.

5 Top Examples from 1470+ Innovative Hydropower Startups

The five innovative hydropower startups showcased below are picked based on data, including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

Hydro PowerPlus enables Plant Power Production Enhancement

Canadian startup Hydro PowerPlus Hydro PowerPlus offers an Adjustable Weir Solution (AWS) that increases hydropower plant power production. It controls tailwater elevation and turbine cavitation state to raise and stabilize hydraulic head.

The solution excavates and reconfigures the tailrace to remove flow restrictions and reduce head loss. Then, it builds a reinforced hydraulic structure with embedded systems, piers, and abutments that anchor adjustable weir spans.

The startup installs a rubber dam that uses a high-tensile rubber-coated fabric bladder, configured as air-filled or water-filled and permanently clamped to a concrete foundation.

Also, it combines hydraulic nappe breakers with regulation hardware and software to hold an operator-defined tailwater set-point to about ±5 cm across partially inflated positions.

It optionally adds a steel rubber crest gate that isolates a span for maintenance and provides redundancy if a bladder fault occurs.

Hydro PowerPlus also has a control house that runs proprietary Anti-Cavitation Control software to manage minimum unit submergence and maintain cavitation and head near optimal operating levels.

Foil-O-Ecology makes Beluga Fin-Inspired Hydroturbines

French startup Foil-O-Ecology develops fin-inspired biomimetic hydroturbines that generate electricity from river and marine currents using an oscillating foil rather than a rotating rotor.

It drives a steerable foil through a controlled flapping motion that mimics cetacean or fish fins. It then converts the resulting lift and drag forces into electrical power through an above-water energy conversion module mounted on a floating platform.

The startup configures two opposing foils in series and uses a rectangular motion pattern to exploit current variations and tune kinematic parameters, including oscillation amplitude, orientation, and a defined rigidity-to-flexibility ratio.

It keeps the generating equipment non-immersed to simplify inspection and raises the submerged section for maintenance. Whereas the oscillating geometry reduces blockage from debris and limits biological fouling through smooth, continuously moving surfaces. It also minimizes visual impact by keeping the structure near the water surface.

Gaia Turbine offers High-Performance Hydraulic Turbines

Swiss startup Gaia Turbine makes high-performance hydraulic turbines that have a dual rotor design. It uses two counter-rotating rotors within a compact turbine assembly to extract energy efficiently across a wide range of water flows and head jumps. This enables maintaining stable performance as hydraulic conditions change.

The turbines operate across head jumps from 10 to 800 meters and flow rates between 3 and 500 liters per second. Thus, allowing deployment in sites where conventional turbines face efficiency losses or infrastructure constraints.

The turbines are suitable for rapid installation with minimal civil engineering. It integrates mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic components into a standardized modular unit. This configuration supports adaptability to variable operating conditions without complex structural modifications.

HydroPeak advances Hydroelectric & Micro-Pumped Energy Storage

French startup HydroPeak works on hydroelectric and micro pumped energy storage projects that recover energy from existing water supply and artificial snowmaking networks in mountain regions.

It identifies hydraulic pressure dissipation points in drinking water and snowmaking infrastructure and integrates appropriately sized turbines to convert surplus head and flow into electricity during normal network operation.

The startup also designs run-of-river installations on torrents and mountain rivers and applies micro pumped storage concepts to balance local production and consumption where elevation differences exist.

It conducts prospecting, feasibility studies, and detailed engineering, then co-develops projects through joint ownership and financing structures that share technical and financial risk with local stakeholders.

Thus, HydroPeak enables territories to produce clean, local electricity by transforming existing water infrastructure into low-impact, economically viable hydropower assets.

OdelEnergy constructs Hyperlocal Small-Scale Hydropower Plants

Norwegian startup OdelEnergy constructs hyperlocal small-scale hydropower plants that convert river flow into electricity through micro, mini, and small installations ranging from roughly 0.5 MW to 2.5 MW.

It identifies viable sites near existing grid capacity, conducts hydrological analysis, environmental and biodiversity studies, and completes technical design and permitting in coordination with landowners and local authorities.

The startup builds plants in geographically clustered portfolios to standardize engineering, optimize logistics, and reduce construction and installation costs. Then, it manages construction with defined safety, quality, and risk controls.

It also operates and maintains completed assets to ensure stable performance across the plant lifecycle. OdelEnergy thus enables locally owned hydropower generation by turning small rivers into economically viable energy assets with a limited environmental footprint.

Key Action Points for Hydropower Industry Stakeholders

• For investors: Prioritize micro hydropower, hydropower engineering, and turbine-related upgrades where firmographic signals show active company formation and sustained workforces.
• For operators and asset owners: Partner with startups that improve output, monitoring, and modernization outcomes to extend asset lifetimes and enhance performance.
• For policymakers and ecosystem builders: Use the top country and city hub concentration to guide pilot programs and innovation partnerships where hydropower activity is densest.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Hydropower Trends, Startups, and Technologies

Despite a small decline in overall company growth, the hydropower industry continues to evolve through steady investment activity, rising patent growth, and active subtrends focused on micro hydropower and engineering-led modernization.

The ecosystem’s scale across companies, startups, and the workforce signals ongoing relevance as hydropower assets are optimized to meet reliability and energy transition needs.

Get in touch to explore 1470+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting hydropower companies.