Have you ever started thinking how you get to enjoy benefits of electricity? You’re probably reading this thanks to one of the hydroelectric power plants in your country, and the mightiest ones are in Insider Monkey’s article on 12 largest hydroelectric dams and power plants in the world.

People have become real masters of harnessing the nature’s elements to serve their purpose, and rarely do any buildings look so impressive like hydroelectric dams and plants. Just think about it. Water is powerful, unpredictable and often uncontrollable. Now you should imagine a large, deep basin obstructed by a human-made obstacle. The water giant is actually being used continuously to make our everyday lives easier. Due to that enormous mass of concrete and huge generators we are able to enjoy our lives fully.

However, there are lots of pros and cons to using this renewable source. One of downsides is that accidents are possible, in which case victims are inevitable. Also, you can’t just completely stop the water’s natural flow, or build an artificial lake without causing somewhat of an environmental catastrophe. You’ll find more details on these incidents in the article.

The dams and power plants are listed according to their annual generating capacity expressed in gigawatts. Along with that, you’ll also find out when they were built, what kind of turbines they are using, or how high or long they are. Actually, these buildings are so impressive they are turning into tourist attractions. After all, the nature surrounding the plant is lovely, and the huge water basin gives you the chills. One can’t help but feel a little dizzy when he looks over the dam’s edge into the abyss.

By the way, there’s one construction on the list which is not a dam, but just a power plant, and yet it generates so much power it stands right next to the mightiest facilities on the planet. Check them out at 12 largest hydroelectric dams and power plants in the world.