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Energy resulting from the running water is termed as hydropower. Harnessing energy from water is one of the ancient methods used by the Greeks to run wheels for grinding grain. It is an inexhaustible and clean source of energy without consumption, pollution, emission of waste gas and other wastes. Utilizing hydropower is one of the efficient ways to achieve low‐carbon emission and meet the Paris climate goals. Its contribution in power generation is maximum among all renewables, World's largest hydropower plant in China – ‘Three Gorges Dam’ with 22.5 GW capacity is a great example of this renewable source. First time in the history, contribution of hydropower reached just 50% in the year 2018 due to more growth in solar and wind energy sector. In recent times, its growth rate (2% in 2018) continued to slow, with only China adding a substantial amount of 8.5 GW in 2018, as per IRENA report (IRENA 2019f). Hydropower plants are classified into two types, namely with dams and reservoirs or without. Hydropower plants with dams and reservoirs produce electricity at a large scale while the other type produces at a smaller scale.

Hydropower technology has reached a mature level as compared with other renewable sources, namely solar and wind. Thus, advances in identification and implementation of radical design which can change the operative method of hydropower have less potential. However, development of new methods in design, planning and operation of a hydropower station still has many opportunities (Kougias et al. 2019). Recent advances in the hydropower sector show increment in efficiency, flexibility of operations, durability and cost reduction of installation, operation and maintenance. Developments in technologies are needed for this sector to respond to changing climate conditions, expanding markets and variabilities of electrical power systems. Further, novel developments for upgradation and refurbishment of current facilities in hydropower are required in accordance with the environmental standards.