Mastodawn

Canadiana question: is "hydro" a blanket term for "electricity"?

I just read a Globe and Mail story that referred to windmills -- the things that are spun by the wind -- as "hydro windmills."

I can imagine how all this started but I gotta say it's really confusing seeing a term that literally means "water" being used for things that are not water. Would a Canadian say "hydro coal"?

#Canada #askACanadian

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davecb 🇨🇦

@rwg Yes, especially in provinces with lots of rivers. It's important enough that the supplier, based in Niagara Falls, was named "Ontario Hydro" in 1974.

If you are being general, it's "hydro".

If you want to be specific, say "electricity from coal", "coal plants", "gas plants", etc. "Plants" will be recognized as meaning power plants if the context is right.