A recent article in the “LA Times” about the projected boom in hydropower caught my eye this morning because one of my students asked last night about the growth of hydro in the US. I told her that it was my perception that hydroelectric use was not growing. That has certainly been the trend in the past several years. According to the Energy Information Administration here, customers’ use of hydroelectric was in the range of 2.8 to 2.5 quadrillion Btu in the five years from 2003-07. However, the “LA Times” article notes that the “National Hydropower Assn. has set a goal of doubling the nation’s hydropower capacity by 2025.” The story discusses some of the big ticket issues of protecting migrating fish and also the influence of cap-and-trade on renewable energy projects.
I noted a terrific story from Turkey at this post last month about a large hydro project that will be going up in a spot where environmental concerns had held up the project for decades. The new push for hydro in the US will certainly generate a ton of discussion and environmental review – as is only right – but the industry knows that agencies, local communities and environmental groups have concerns and are prepared to address them. The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydropower Program is well aware of the need to minimize environmental impacts.
The article quotes John Seebach, director of the Hydropower Reform Initiative launched by the conservation group American Rivers. “Hydropower does have pretty significant and serious impacts on rivers. We know that. The industry knows that. It also provides some pretty significant benefits in terms of power production. So it’s a tricky balance to get those benefits while trying to minimize those impacts.” How do you do that? Use existing dams. There are 82,600 dams – only 3% generate power. “Most of the bang for the buck is at existing dams and reservoirs without hydropower facilities, and hydropower facilities that need to be upgraded for additional capacity,” noted someone else in the article.
There’s clearly tremendous potential in maximizing hydroelectricity from existing dams. Superb organizations like American Rivers, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, among others, are working to effect the important advances that can make hydro sustainable and more productive.
