From an environmental perspective, "small" is not a particularly meaningful term, Couto notes, since it usually just refers to generation capacity – rather than to factors that actually matter for the plant"s ecological impact, such as how much water is diverted, and how much remains in the stream bed. And while small hydropower is often marketed as a good solution for unconnected communities, globally, "the proliferation of small hydropower is not being primarily propelled by rural electrification," he says, but rather, by incentives and subsidies that make it a lucrative investment for businesses.