Abstract: Green hydropower is a hotspot in the interdisciplinary research of hydropower construction, environmental protection, construction management, etc., an important concept for understanding and advancing the concepts of hydropower exploration, technology, and management. First, this paper reviews the development history of hydropower exploration in China. The practices are fully acknowledged on their comprehensiveness of all aspects and adjustability regarding differences between projects; Social and ecological benefits of the hydropower projects are well recognized, where water ecosystem health has been improved and regional economic development has been promoted. Second, we present a basic definition of green hydropower, its characteristics, and a development evolution model based on the mutual coupling relationship of society, environment, and engineering. Finally, we discuss the core technologies and successful practices in the development of green hydropower, including environmental protection of hydrology, water and sediment, mitigation of gas supersaturation, and watershed connection for habitat and life cycle carbon footprint management. And we suggest two primary research areas－intelligent construction and smart management, which are key to the future hydropower projects to enhance their high-quality infrastructure design, construction, operation and maintenance, and final decommission. This study would help promote the development of green hydropower and its science, technology and management－including upcoming hydropower exploitation in the high-altitude Southwest China, clean energy project development, and hydropower-wind-solar-complemented green energy supplying.

Key words: hydropower engineering, green hydropower, evolution model, engineering-environment-society mutual matching, hydropower-wind-solar complementary, intelligent construction