A Busy Week for Hydropower

In the second week of the New Year, hydropower was making news in many places throughout the U.S.
Here?s a recap of some of those events:
In Montana, state lawmakers introduced legislation that would allow utilities to use electricity from large hydropower plants to meet state requirements for the production of renewable power. Right now, Montana utilities are required to get 10 percent of their power from renewable resources. That number will jump to 15 percent in 2015. Under current state law, hydropower facilities of 10 MW or less can be used to meet the state?s renewable electricity standard. Already, hydropower accounts for 40 percent of Montana?s electricity consumption. Critics of the bill say if all hydropower is allowed to count toward the standard for renewable energy production, there would be no incentive to build new sources of renewable power. Supporters of the bill say hydropower is a low-cost, reliable form of power that should be included in the state?s renewable electricity standard to keep consumer costs low and ensure reliability.
Hydropower production from powerhouses on the Missouri River is soaring, thanks to more mountain snowmelt and rainfall, according to the U.S. Corps of Engineers. After a decade of drought, hydropower production from six projects on the 2,341-mile river is expected to exceed 10 billion kWh this year, up from less than 5 billion kWh in 2007. The increased hydropower production could lead to savings for utilities and the customers they serve because they won?t have to buy as much power from the volatile open market to meet demand.
The California Energy Commission awarded $300,000 to the University of California at Davis to examine the effects of climate change on hydropower operations and the environmental consequences downstream. The research will target hydropower projects that are being relicensed, including the 362-MW Yuba River project. It will also explore methods for incorporating climate change data into the licensing of hydropower projects at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Verdant Power said it is seeking permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to place up to 30 tidal power turbines in the East Channel of New York?s East River. If the application is approved, the 1-MW project would be the first tidal power plant in the U.S. licensed to transmit power onto the grid, Verdant said. The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project will feature Verdant?s ?Free Flow? kinetic hydropower system designed with three-bladed turbines. The company said it successfully demonstrated a Free Flow system that included six turbines in New York City.
For more hydropower news, visit www.hydroworld.com.
Russell Ray is senior associate editor of Hydro Review magazine. Russell has 11 years experience as an energy journalist, covering the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma and the growth of solar and nuclear power in Florida. He served eight years as the energy reporter for the Tulsa World. He held the same position at the Tampa Tribune for two and a half years before joining Hydro Review in 2009.
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