Hydropower Revolutions

This paper examines two hydropower revolutions between 1945 and 1990, one in Norway and the other in the Northwest United States. During this period, the development of hydropower was tied to large-scale changes in society, economy, and politics of each place. A variable combination of state actors, civil society, and economic forces across both regions contributed to comparable capacity growth by the late 1970s. By analyzing 334 newspaper articles through both quantitative and qualitative methods, we identified key trends in hydropower expansion and media discourse. The Northwest United States favored fewer large-scale plants, while Norway built numerous medium-sized facilities. Media reporting trends differed, with Norway showing two reporting waves, while Northwest saw a sharp increase in coverage from the late 1970s. Five key lessons emerged from our analysis: (1) national governments are the main initiator of the transition, (2) national governments are key mediators at the local level, (3) governments, both na-tional and subnational, are instrumental to long-term planning, (4) international power trade and grid interconnection are necessary but contentious, and (5) rural development is vital to building public support for energy transitions. These findings highlight the ongoing relevance of state-led energy planning and the need for future research on renewable energy integration, with lessons applicable to today’s climate change mitigation efforts.