News Plants

The worldwide water-lifting power of plants is enormous

Forests alone use 9.4 quadrillion watt-hours of energy annually

image of a tree canopy taken from below looking up

The energy needed to lift water from below ground into plants’ foliage worldwide rivals the amount of energy generated globally by hydroelectric dams.

Baac3nes/Moment/Getty Images Plus

By Sid Perkins

- More than 2 years ago

When it comes to hoisting water, plants are real power lifters.

For a tall tree, slurping hundreds of liters of water each day up to its leaves or needles, where photosynthesis takes place, can be quite a haul.