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RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News NHA announces joint Statement with river/environmental communities to advance hydropower & healthy rivers.
Industry News Energy Department officials & technology developers discussed the potential market opportunities for marine energy
Upcoming Events On October 20, 2021 in Atlanta, GA, NHA will open the gates to waterpower’s new trade show and conference.
Press Releases The bill makes pumped storage hydropower eligible for the investment tax credit (ITC), along with an extension of the…
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Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
NHA is accepting nominations for the 2021 Dr. Kenneth Henwood Award. The Henwood Award, NHA’s highest individual honor, is presented annually to an individual within the waterpower industry who exhibits:
Nominations will be accepted until August 16, 2021.
To nominate an outstanding waterpower professional for the Dr. Kenneth Henwood Award you’ll be asked to fill out a nomination form through NHA’s online application portal. The form will allow you to describe, in no more than 500 words per criterion, how the nominee meets the 5 aforementioned criteria.
August 15-16: NHA’s Alaska Regional Meeting
Asset Owners: Annual membership dues are based on installed capacity of North American hydropower assets.
Product and Service Providers and Project or Technology Developers: Dues are based on only the North American hydropower portion of your revenues.
| 2024 Dues Categories for Product and Service Suppliers – Annual Revenue Ranges | Dues |
|---|---|
| Platinum Leadership > $50 mil | $34,067 |
| Leadership $20 mil – $50 mil | $25,149 |
| Large $5 mil – $20 mil | $19,884 |
| Medium $1 mil – $5 mil | $14,035 |
| Established $ 500K – $1 mil | $9,361 |
| Small $250k – $500k | $5,678 |
| Supporting <$250k | $2,922 |
The Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) awards annually recognize deserving organizations in the waterpower industry for projects that exhibit exemplary operational, educational, historical, recreational, or environmental enhancement and stewardship. Each year, NHA presents the OSAW awards at Clean Currents. Learn more about the OSAW awards and submit an application for this year’s competition.
The Dr. Kenneth Henwood Award, NHA’s highest individual honor, is presented annually to an individual within the waterpower industry who exhibits dedication to waterpower as an energy technology; persistence in the face of institutional obstacles; appreciation and understanding of the relationships among project engineering, environment and economics; a strong commitment for fair dealing and plain speaking; and uncommon energy, enthusiasm, and excitement as a leading force in the industry.
This annual award was created in 2008 by NHA Past Chairs to support future industry leaders as they complete their education.
Yesterday was National Hydropower Day, and it ended as a very impactful day of engagement thanks to you, members of the waterpower industry.
Social media engagement was widespread, and we received a notable tweet from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in recognition of the day. The day was full of content including NHA’s interview with Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk which you can find on NHA’s National Hydropower Day webpage. Check out NHA’s National Hydropower Day page here! To see the widespread industry engagement, you can search the hashtag #HydroDay on social media platforms.
Tip: Want all your NHA emails in one folder in Outlook? Set up a rule so that emails from @hydro.org and @hydroexcellence.org go into one folder. (Thanks to members Duke Energy and HDR, Inc. for the tip!)
“Henwood never wavered or let obstacles deter him from his passion; he became successful because he truly believed in what he was doing.”Former NHA President Gail Greely once said Henwood’s degrees in engineering and environmental science allowed him to both design projects and to intelligently supervise environmental study work. She said of him,
“He could do it all; I have never known anybody like Ken before, and I never will again.”
Ocean Renewable Power Company successfully deployed the RivGen® Power System, a submersible hydrokinetic system designed for river and shallow tidal applications. RivGen supplied one-third of the power for the remote Alaskan village of Igiugig – demonstrating the viability of the marine energy technology for rural communities worldwide.
The entire collector, including the nets and Net Transition Structure, has to be able to rise and fall, withstand epic storm conditions, collect fish within the entire reservoir operating range and allow employees to safely get on and off. The collector puts a 150,000-pound load on the dam through the connection during extreme storm events.
Engineers built a space-age structural connection that includes a cutting-edge, shock-absorbing connector to anchor the aft end of the collector. This connection allows for the FSC to roll, pitch, move up and down freely, and compress if needed.
Do you know someone who would be a great addition to NHA’s Board of Directors? NHA is now accepting nominations for 2021! If you have someone in mind, please click the link below to access our nominations portal. In 500 words or less, tell us why your nominee should serve on NHA’s board.
Nominations are due by August 14st.
About the Board
The board is entrusted with setting the strategic direction and policies that govern the Association’s activities. It is an active board and expects its members to take an engaged role in the Association.
Potential Candidates
Candidates must be members in good standing with strong leadership qualities and experience. Additionally, candidates must have the support of their companies to run for a board seat and be able to travel to attend at least four of the five annual board meetings.
The Nomination Process
Once the nomination window closes, the Board of Directors will approve the nomination slate of candidates based off of the recommendations from NHA’s Nominating Committee. The slate will contain 10 nominees to fill 5 open board seats. In early October, NHA primary members will be encouraged to visit the portal to vote for nominees. The election will conclude this fall with the newly elected board members beginning their four-year term in January 2021.
The Spokane Tribal Gathering Place, previously a parking lot, connects the newly transformed Huntington Park to the City of Spokane’s Riverfront Park, allowing the public access to the Spokane River Lower Falls for the first time in 100 years. Today, visitors can access the Lower Falls and along the way experience interpretive signs, sculptures, and artifacts that depict the area’s history, including Native American, European American and hydroelectric development.
Jennifer Moore, MESA Associates
Ginger Gillin, GEI Consultants
Emily Schwartz, Black & Veatch
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week
| Day | Date | Time (ET) | Activity |
| Tuesday | Oct 10 | 1 PM-5 PM | Chief Dam Safety Engineers Roundtable (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners) |
| Thursday | Oct 12 | 6 PM-8:30 PM | Hydropower Technical Community Networking Dinner –a fun, casual evening to spend time together in an informal atmosphere! |
| Friday | Oct 13 | 8 AM-12 PM | Senior Leaders Asset Owner Forum (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners) |
| Friday | Oct 13 | 8 AM-12 PM | O&M Asset Owner Roundtable (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners) |
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Last Edition’s Question: How many NHA Board of Director positions are there in total? Last Edition’s Answer: There are 25 board members including the advisory members. Nominations are open for NHA’s Board of Directors are open until August 31st.
Do you work in Alaska or interested in doing business there? Then, next month’s Alaska Regional Meeting in Anchorage is a “can’t moose” event for you.
Meeting host Alaska Energy Authority is offering an “in-the-field” tour that includes both the Eklutna Hydroelectric Plant operated by Chugach Electric and the South Fork Hydroelectric Project owned by Dan Janke.
Beyond the tour, here are just a few of the thought-provoking session topics we have in store for you:
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Did You Know that Clean Currents is:
Duke Energy successfully developed the Pines Recreation Area and High Falls Trail as part of the West Fork 
Hydroelectric Project. Visitors now have access to a hiking and whitewater boating access trail, fishing pier, picnic facilities, educational and historical signage, and a swim beach – an engineering marvel, completed with a first-ever design using a concrete cloth material and rock-filled wire gabion baskets.
Meanwhile, Congress enacted the fourth piece of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.
This package, however, did not contain hydropower provisions. Lawmakers and the White House have begun to set markers for the next package. The negotiations could end up being an intense fight between fossil fuel interests and renewable energy concerns. Currently, the extension of the PTC and ITC, as well as the extension of the continuity of safe harbor for projects already commenced have been issues that have been discussed in early discussions. NHA will continue to be engaged to ensure that our priorities will be heard by Congress. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with Senators John Thune (R-ND), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Joe Manchin (D-WVA), sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yesterday, urging an extension of the continuity safe harbor under IRS commence construction guidance for both the production and investment tax credits.
Grant County PUD crafted an innovative and concise video to educate the public on the value of hydropower. A capstone of its new fish and hydro interpretive center, the video distills hydropower’s technical language into a 3D virtual tour of how Wanapum Dam meets the renewable energy needs of millions of customers throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Click here to watch the video
To help amplify waterpower’s value to a “beyond industry” audience, NHA regularly holds Path to Clean Energy webinars.
Today, at 2 PM ET the focus in the series is on Pumped Storage Hydropower. NHA expects Congressional staff, river conservationists, regulators, resource agencies, state energy offices, utility commissioner staff, and buyers of renewable energy electricity to view the webinar.
Employees of NHA members are also welcome to join. Sign up here.
Also, in celebration of World Energy Storage Day, NHA has released its 2021 U.S. Pumped Storage Report.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
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The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has restored two acres of lost fish and wildlife habitat within the middle of the resource-starved Upper Niagara River, with its Frog Island Wetland Habitat Restoration Project, adding a key element that did not exist before: protection against the loss of this restored habitat. To achieve these goals, NYPA overcame especially challenging design and construction considerations, including the inherent high energy river environment, varying water levels, adverse weather conditions, a severely limited construction window, and the presence of the project within surrounding valuable habitat that could not be compromised. This was further complicated by additional competing constraints such as seasonal limitations for fish spawning, visibility to boaters, and the need for a modest appearance. These many variables were addressed with the aid of extensive stakeholder collaboration.
NHA recently announced its new officers and members of the 2020 Board of Directors. The Executive Officers of the Board of Directors who start their terms of service on January 1, 2020 are:
NHA is also welcoming five new elected members to its Board of Directors. They are:
In addition to the newly elected members, the Board also appointed the following two individuals from NHA member companies to serve as advisory members on the Board:
As advisory members, they will serve a one-year term in a non-voting capacity.
Leaving the Board at the conclusion of 2019 are:
NHA is seeking a Vice President of Government Affairs to lead our federal and state legislative efforts. This person will spearhead our efforts to raise the profile of hydropower in state energy policy conversations.
In addition to devising political and policy strategies to advance the Association’s policy objectives and NHA’s strategic plan, this person will support efforts to build alliances with traditional and non-traditional allies to strengthen hydropower’s profile in on-going energy policy debates.This senior position, based in Washington, D.C., will report to the President & CEO.
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
WaRP is a living database of research within the hydropower, pumped storage and marine energy sectors, conducted by industry, government, NGO and educational entities.
Browse where hydropower and pumped storage projects are located around the U.S.
Recognizing the untapped potential of hydropower to lessen the nation’s carbon footprint, the U.S. Department of Energy released the Hydropower Vision: A New Chapter for America’s 1st Renewable Electricity Source report – a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind roadmap that offers a 360-degree view of the hydropower industry. Two years in the making, the report offers pathways for tapping into hydropower’s potential to increase installed capacity by nearly 50 GW by 2050.
ORPC improves people’s lives, and their environment, through sustainable energy solutions. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, ORPC has wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Chile and Ireland. The company’s power systems generate proven baseload renewable energy from free-flowing rivers and tides.
ORPC’s RivGen® unit installed at the remote village of Igiugig, Alaska, became the longest operating riverine hydrokinetic energy device in the Americas. ORPC is leveraging its successful core technology to capture broad markets ranging from distributed generation (Modular RivGen) to community tidal (TidGen80) and utility scale (Optimor) applications.
In October 2020, Verdant Power deployed three of its fifth-generation turbines mounted on a single TriFrame™ in New York City’s East River – a tidal strait. To date, this one-half scale demonstration project has exceeded expectations and generated 210 MWh in the first six months of continuous operation, a record for marine energy production in the United States. Most importantly, the turbines performed at over 99% availability and established a water-to-wire efficiency, including all losses, of 46%.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has restored approximately 500 acres of wetland habitat on PG&E property located along the Pacific Flyway, the major flyway for migratory birds in the Americas that extends from Alaska to Patagonia. The restored McArthur Swamp has seen a 20-fold increase in migratory waterfowl who are benefitting from the feeding and nesting habitat which was constructed by PG&E in collaboration with California Waterfowl Association. The McArthur Swamp Wildlife Habitat Improvement Project (WHIP) created a mosaic of meandering swales, depressions, and loafing islands that are flooded annually with water from the adjacent Big Lake, the headwaters of the Pit 1 Hydroelectric Project.
Tacoma Power’s improvements at Little Falls on the North Fork Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington, will help secure salmon and steelhead populations for years to come. The project provided many challenges for the team, which used innovation and intellect to overcome them. The project also helped the utility maintain its important relationship with the Skokomish Indian Tribe.
The flow of the river at Little Falls is divided into two channels, both of which were previously identified as barriers to fish. To help ease fish passage and keep the natural beauty of this culturally significant location, Tacoma Power collaborated with the Skokomish Indian Tribe and permitting agencies to carve a fish ladder into existing bedrock. Weirs were created to maintain water elevations along with resting pools and connecting chutes to allow fish to pass the 12-foot-high falls in a series of bursts.
With the project complete, adult fish can now migrate upstream to the base of Cushman No. 2 Dam to the fish collection and transportation facility.
NHA’s Vice President of Operations and Member Services Diane C. Lear retires July 1. Diane has been the face of NHA membership for 20 years. She has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to grow the association’s membership.
Membership is at a record high (279 members), thanks to Diane’s leadership, vision, and insight. NHA members represent 85% of the installed U.S. hydropower capacity.
Top-of-mind for Diane has been to ensure those member organizations and their employees get value from their association. She listens, responds quickly, and cares deeply. Her parting gift to the waterpower industry is a strong, thriving association.
We encourage you to wish her well as she embarks on this new chapter of her life at the end of this month. Diane’s email is: diane@hydro.org.
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Part 1: In what year did the Conowingo Dam (the facility being toured at NHA’s Northeast Regional Meeting) begin operation?
Part 2: The Conowingo Dam is the southernmost dam on the Susquehanna River, what are two other dams located along the Susquehanna River?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Canada proposed the concept of a “World Ocean Day” at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992.
Time to register for Clean Currents! Reduced rates for YOU!!
NHA’s Clean Currents Conference + Trade Show is the industry’s event of the year! Plan to be in Sacramento, California, the week of October 17. Detailed schedule is HERE; early bird registration deadline: July 15. You, as an employee of an NHA member, qualify for discounted member rates.
NHA’s Board of Directors, comprised of forward-thinking leaders from every sector of the hydropower and marine energy industries, is dedicated to preserving and expanding America’s first renewable energy resource.
NHA is thrilled to announce the new members and executive officers of the Board and is looking forward to leveraging their guidance as NHA continues its mission of advocating for hydropower and marine energy as climate solutions.
Big Win for Waterpower in Revised Build Back Better Proposal; NHA Continues to Fight for More
The revised “Build Back Better” reconciliation package includes a 30% Investment Tax Credit for environmental improvements/upgrades (fish passage, water quality, sediment transport, and habitat maintenance) at hydropower projects. NHA estimates the tax credits could be worth $1.5 billion for the industry. Additionally, there are provisions for full value (up from the previous half credit) production tax credits for building new hydropower at existing dams, marine energy, and other incremental new hydropower, extended for ten years.
While tax credits for grid resiliency, dam safety upgrades and dam removal were not included in the proposal, NHA will continue to work for their inclusion.
A big “Thank You” goes out to NHA’s former VP of Government Affairs, Zolaikha Strong for this success. Zolaikha has moved out of the hydropower industry and NHA wishes her all the best in her future endeavors.
NHA Member-only License Reform Briefing
As a service to its members, NHA is providing a briefing TOMORROW, December 16 at 3:00 PM ET, on the ongoing license reform improvement negotiations from the Uncommon Dialogue Joint Statement of Collaboration.
In preparation of tomorrow’s call, please see a two-page Status of Issues Under Discussion
How many additional kWh of electricity will an average American household use in December for their holiday lights?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: When it began operation, the Vulcan Street Plant in Appleton, WI along the Fox River was the first Edison hydroelectric central station to serve a system of private and commercial customers in North America. The idea for the plant was conceived by H J Rodgers, president of Appleton Paper and Pulp Co. The engineer for the project was P. D. Johnston.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
Check out the “Connect & Learn” section of NHA’s POWERHOUSE media platform. New articles each week!
On Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska sits the small town of Sitka. Sitkans are known for being fiercely independent and very interested in all aspects of their community. Two years ago when the construction on the expansion of one of their two hydroelectric dams began, it was known that the Utility would have to keep the town informed and heavily involved but how? The City of Sitka Electric Department sought to keep the public engaged with the Blue Lake Expansion Project since not only were they directly paying for over 2/3 of the $150 million project, but also passing along those costs to future Sitkans over the 30 year bond payment. They came up with a series of efforts that proved to be amazingly successful at keeping the public informed and supportive which was a fundamental reason for the overwhelming success of the entire project, despite a substantial rate increase to pay for it.
We’re a group of ambitious, young professionals using waterpower to work toward a future of clean, sustainable energy, guided by values of equity and justice.
Minnesota Power launched “Hometown Hydropower” in May 2014 to help raise the public profile of the company’s hydroelectric system. The initiative came about two years after historic floodwaters raced down the St. Louis River, severely damaging Thomson Hydro, the heart of the company’s hydropower system, and forcing it offline.
In advance of Thomson’s return to service in November 2014, Minnesota Power decided to rededicate its entire hydroelectric system by highlighting individual hydro stations and reservoirs. “Hometown Hydropower” recognized the important role hydroelectric operations play in providing renewable energy to customers and celebrated more than a century of producing hydropower.
The initiative included a series of facility tours and public events at communities that host Minnesota Power’s hydro stations and reservoirs, creation of a commemorative medallion and time capsule, development of a website devoted to Minnesota Power hydropower, creation and distribution of a variety of educational fact sheets, installation of an outdoor informational sign at a popular reservoir, and donations totaling almost $90,000 to various community projects and organizations.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week
In the spirit of March Madness, here are my Final Four predictions of what to look for in Washington that may impact your bottom line in the next several months:
FY 2024 Bonamici-Pingree Water Power Funding Letter
A top priority for NHA remains securing increased funding for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). You have an opportunity to help NHA make that happen! Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree have just released a “Dear Colleague” to their fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives asking for co-signers onto a letter to the Appropriations Committee asking for Water Power to be funded at $206,000,000 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. As a reminder, WPTO investments support innovation of advanced technologies to increase power production and reduce costs, improve grid reliability, resilience, and environmental outcomes, and create new market opportunities that improve economic growth across the country. Please contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support the Bonamici-Pingree Water Power funding letter. We have crafted a draft message below to use as base text for contact with your Representative. Reach out to Brittney May (brittney@hydro.org) or Paul Gay (paul@strategicmi.com) with any questions or for additional information related to this request. Thanks for doing your part to help your fellow NHA members that utilize WPTO funding!DRAFT COMMUNICATION TO CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE
I am writing to request your support for increased federal investments in the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) during consideration of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. In addition, I urge you to co-sign a letter to the House Appropriations Committee led by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree requesting $206,000,000 for Water Power within the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The U.S. has significant underutilized water power resources, including non-powered dams, conduits, new pumped storage potential, and untapped marine energy. The DOE WPTO invests in advancement of new and innovative technologies, operations, and approaches to harness these resources in a globally competitive marketplace. My name is __________________. I’m a constituent living in ______(City)____________ and am ___(Title)__________ of ____(Company)____________ (www.____________________). We are a (INSERT DESCRIPTION AND MISSION STATEMENT HERE). Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree recently released a “Dear Colleague” to their fellow members of the U.S. House of Representatives asking for co-signers onto a letter to the Appropriations Committee asking for $206 million for Water Power in Fiscal Year 2024. I would greatly appreciate Rep. (FILL IN NAME OF YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS) co-signing the letter, which is copied below for your review. The deadline to co-sign the letter is Wednesday, March 22. Deployment of new water power generation technologies at scale in the U.S. will increase local economic development opportunities, create thousands of high-value jobs, promote exports in manufacturing and services, and avoid a repeat of the current landscape in which foreign companies dominate global renewable technology markets. I request that Rep. ____________ co-sign the Bonamici-Pingree Water Power funding letter and also submit a programmatic request to the Appropriations Committee that $206,000,000 be provided for Water Power in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. I am available and would be happy to find a time to connect and brief the office about (INSERT NAME OF COMPANY/UNIVERSITY/OTHER) and water power issues. We also welcome the opportunity to host Rep. ________________ for a visit. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know whether Rep. ________________ is willing to co-sign the Bonamici-Pingree letter and contact the Appropriations Committee on our behalf. Sincerely, ______________________, (INSERT TITLE) (INSERT ADDRESS/EMAIL) *** Support FY24 DOE Water Power Technologies Office Appropriations Letter Sending Office: Honorable Suzanne Bonamici Sent By: Morgan.McCue@mail.house.gov Support FY24 Appropriations for the DOE Water Power Technologies Office *Programmatic Request* FY23 Signers: Beyer, Blumenauer, Bonamici, Bowman, Carbajal, Casten, Cohen, Costa, Courtney, Craig, DeFazio, DeGette, DeSaulnier, Deutch, Golden, Jayapal, Kahele, Keating, Kuster, Larsen, Matsui, McGovern, McKinley, McNerney, Panetta, Pappas, Pingree, Rush, Scott, Sewell, Smith, Soto, Strickland, Takano, Tonko Dear Colleague, Please join us in requesting that the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development provide $206 million in funding for the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). Our ocean covers more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet and can be used as a plentiful, renewable energy resource. The Department of Energy estimates that there is enough kinetic energy in waves and tides along U.S. coastlines to meet a significant portion of our nation’s power needs. Waves, tides, and currents carry kinetic energy that can be captured and converted into electricity that powers our homes, buildings, and cities. Harnessing marine energy is an exciting frontier in the clean energy sector. Hydropower is also an affordable and reliable electricity resource, accounting for nearly six percent of all U.S. electricity generation. In 2020, Congress strongly supported the investments in marine energy and water power programs by advancing the bipartisan Water Power Research and Development Act. The bill reauthorized the WPTO, which supports cutting-edge private sector-led research, development, and deployment of marine energy technologies, new innovative hydropower, and pumped storage. Commercializing new advanced water power systems to capture these resources represents a substantial economic opportunity for the United States to lead the world in an emerging area of energy production and stimulate a broad range of job-creating industries. Marine energy is one of the last untapped renewable energy sources, and federal investment can help unlock it. Please join us in supporting this vital program by expressing support for $206 million in funding for the DOE WPTO. If you would like to sign the letter, please do so via QUILL by Wednesday, March 22nd. For additional information, please contact Morgan McCue in Rep. Bonamici’s office at Morgan.Mccue@mail.house.gov. Sincerely, Suzanne Bonamici Chellie Pingree Member of Congress Member of Congress Dear Chairman Fleischmann and Ranking Member Kaptur: As you consider the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Act, we respectfully request $206,000,000 in funding for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). This funding would strengthen cutting-edge research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of marine energy technologies, new innovative hydropower, and pumped storage. The United States has significant untapped water power resources that can be safely captured and converted into clean, renewable electricity. In 2021, DOE estimated the technical potential of marine energy resources (wave, tidal, ocean current, ocean thermal, and riverine) in the 50 states to be 2,300 terawatt hours per year, which is equivalent to 57 percent of all U.S. electricity generated in 2019. Using just one-tenth of these resources would provide enough energy to power 22 million homes. Commercialization of new advanced systems to capture water power resources represents a substantial economic opportunity for the United States to lead in clean energy production and stimulate a broad range of job creation activities in construction, equipment manufacturing, shipyards, and project operations and management. As with more mature power generation technologies, federal support for critical early-stage innovation and technology deployment efforts are key to eventual commercial success. Currently, hydropower accounts for more than 7 percent of all U.S. electricity generation, 37 percent of renewable electricity, and a significant percentage of storage capacity. The Hydropower Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment, prepared by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for DOE identifies barriers and opportunities to securing a resilient hydropower supply chain. The report anticipates significant hydropower repowering activity in the coming years and notes that the industry may face supply chain constraints as many components are large and require significant lead time. Ongoing efforts by the WPTO to advance technologies that will improve equipment longevity are critical to keeping costs and replacements down. A 2019 project carried out by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory identified techniques that could help reduce cavitation erosion, one of the costliest sources of maintenance. The DOE WPTO also is investing in a diverse range of technologies to capture energy from marine energy and other water power resources. This includes assessing resource and market potential; researching, developing, and deploying new technologies; mitigating effects on marine and riparian environments; and improving grid resilience. In large part because of the sustained support from the WPTO, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the first of its kind lease and license to Oregon State University to build and operate the nation’s first commercial-scale, grid-connected wave energy testing facility, known as PacWave. The project, located off the coast of Newport, Oregon, is in the construction phase, and will provide wave energy developers with opportunity to test and assess systems. In addition, a number of marine energy technologies are now being built, tested, and deployed across the country, from Florida to California, and Maine to Alaska, and several points in between. Robust funding for the DOE Water Power Technologies Office will promote U.S. energy independence, speed up technology commercialization, help provide low cost, clean power for our grid, reduce harmful emissions, and create good-paying jobs. We urge you to allocate $206 million in funding for the DOE Water Power Technologies Office to support research, development, and deployment of marine energy technologies, new innovative hydropower, and pumped storage. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Anchor Coalition is a community engagement NGO. Its mission is to build local resilience leading to sustainable communities by advancing clean energy technologies and promoting services that achieve water and energy efficiency in an integrated manner.
The Coalition is, and will be, comprised of local communities; stakeholders; educational, research, and international financial institutions; NGOs; sector trade associations; clean tech and water companies; global engineering firms; urban designers and planners; clean tech implementation experts; and system integrators.
Anchor, a project of The Ocean Foundation (a 501c3 organization), will develop the framework for combining and advancing both renewable technologies and equitable community development through project planning. This is in accord with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and will help regions, such as Central Asia and the Southern African Development Community, through showcase projects in Zimbabwe and the Kyrgyz Republic, respectively, meet intended Nationally Determined Contributions as pledged in COP 21.
Learn More Here
SXʷNQ̓EʔELS L SUW̓EČM / KSUKⱠIⱠMUMAⱠ ʾA·K̓͏AⱠMUKWAʾITS, Inc., which does business as Energy Keepers, Inc., is a Tribally owned corporation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes tasked with managing the Project on the Flathead Reservation.
The Se̓liš Ksanka Qĺispe̓ Project, located about five miles southwest of Polson, (MT) encompasses a three-unit hydroelectric plant with the capacity to generate 208 megawatts of electricity. The annual generation of the plant averages 1,100,000 megawatt-hours of electricity.
Learn more here
| Bob Underwood, founding partner of NHA member organization Coloma Capital Partners for writing and publishing the book Dam It! Electrifying America and Taming Her Waterways |
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| Call for Speakers for Clean Currents 2023 – responses needed by April 15 |
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NHA members Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), Oscilla Power, Inc., and Resolute Marine Energy, Inc. have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive grants to further pursue innovations. The funding program is through DOE’s small business innovation research and small business technology transfer R&D programs.
The Exelon Foundation in collaboration with Exelon Corp. has announced the return of its annual STEM Innovation Leadership Academy, which was launched in 2018 to encourage young girls to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). As a result of the pandemic, this year’s STEM Academy events will be held virtually for the 180 participants, with an emphasis on examining issues relating to climate change.
From 2002-2013, Grant PUD installed ten new Advanced Turbine Designs at Wanapum Dam on the Mid-Columbia River. The goals of the project were to address the mechanical and hydraulic issues, reduce maintenance, increase generation efficiency, and address fish survival concerns.
The new design included a six-blade Kaplan runner with a spherical hub, new wicket gates, reshaped stay vanes and modifications to the existing draft tubes. These changes improve flow stability, increase hydroelectric capacity and minimize impacts to young salmon.
Best available data reveals that the new design increases generation by an average 3.3 percent. This could allow Grant PUD to deliver clean energy to over 8,000 additional homes. In addition to hydroelectric improvements, available fish passage tests show a slight increase in salmon survival rates.
Hydropower is the nation’s first renewable resource, providing clean, carbon-free energy to roughly 30 million American homes. Yes, it’s essential to our clean energy future, but there’s so much more below the surface. Many don’t realize that hydropower also enriches our communities by protecting our ecosystems and creating community gathering places.
Tacoma Power combined a new, two-generator powerhouse with an innovative fish collection and transportation system. This new source of hydroelectric power on the North Fork Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington:
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What is the most common bird seen at dams?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to the last edition’s question: The first National Hydro Day started in 2019.
Basler Electric Company provides products and services for power generation and distribution, including industrial, marine, and commercial applications. Basler also designs and manufactures custom transformers used extensively in the HVAC, health care, and food service industries. These products and services are sold in 145 countries throughout the world.
Learn more here
Sunshine Hydro, founded in 2016, is an Australian based community focused renewables technology and engineering company. Sunshine Hydro is focused on creating renewables infrastructure projects (Superhybrids) designed to produce firm green energy 24/7, 365 days a year. Since 2016, Sunshine Hydro has invested in creating an AI Software (AESOP) which can be applied to new and existing renewable energy projects. AESOP is designed to improve production efficiencies and investment returns on pumped storage hydropower assets.
Understanding what Sunshine Hydro offers is key for any pumped storage hydro project owner or developer to maximize their return on investment.
Learn more here
NHA’s membership is made up of more than 300 companies and organizations. Bookmark the online member directory for easy reference.
December 5-6, 2022: Southeast Regional Meeting
NHA Southeast Regional Meeting: Register now for the 2022 Southeast Regional Meeting on December 5-6 in Chattanooga, TN! Join 150 other waterpower professionals in the southeast to cover region-specific challenges and issues.
Rock Hawk is a stone effigy, estimated to be more than 2,000 years old and is believed to be one of just two such structures east of the Mississippi River. Both are believed to have been used in a ceremonial manner by Indian tribes who inhabited the river valley thousands of years ago. In partnership with state, local and county agencies, Georgia Power led the preservation and development of a 1,000-acre project centered around the rare rock formation. Enhancements included developing more than 15 miles of hiking and biking trails, displays outlining the history and wildlife of the area, an outdoor museum showcasing 12,000 years of local history, and a unique archery range. The Rock Hawk Park attracts more than 70,000 visitors every year, including many school groups. Atlanta Magazine added the area to its 2013 list of Georgia’s 100 Top Heart Pounding, Adrenaline Pumping Adventures.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
When opinion polls regarding hydropower showed a drop in support, Northwest RiverPartners tackled it with research, brainstorming, collaboration and membership outreach that ultimately generated financial support for a major TV media campaign launched in 2013. The strategic and professionally developed television campaign reached millions in the Northwest with its positive messages on the value of hydro and the Columbia and Snake rivers. Unprecedented in hydropower’s history, it is a perfect example of bringing together people and organizations that are passionate about hydropower – over 90 organizations participated. The ads also helped educate state and federal policymakers and legislators, creating a positive environment and outlook for promoting hydro as the Northwest’s – and the nation’s – cleanest, most affordable and reliable renewable energy source. Public opinion polling conducted before and after the campaign proved the campaign was a great success with support for hydropower’s benefits increasing 3-9% with marked increases in public support for key messages.
Premium Sponsors
Interested in sponsoring and getting your brand and message in front of thousands of readers involved in waterpower? Contact Joseph LoSasso at joseph@hydro.org
POWERHOUSE is a publication of the National Hydropower Association. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise disseminated nor may any of the content be used in part or in whole in other works in any form whatsoever, without express written permission of the editor.
Art Jam is an innovative and collaborative outreach program designed to foster public appreciation of the rich history of northwest hydroelectric power.
The 2013 North Fork Art Jam took place over a two-day period in June, where thirty local artists from the Estacada Area Arts Commission were hosted by Portland General Electric (PGE). PGE staff provided the artists with safety gear, safety instruction, a brief history of PGE and generating facilities on the Clackamas River. Artists were given a guided tour of the North Fork Dam and Powerhouse and the new adult fish sorting facility and then created works of fine art in a variety of media based on inspiration from the hydro industry and the surrounding wooded, river environment. These resulting works of art have been made available for public viewing at four venues via a year-long traveling art show that began in September at the Estacada Public Library in Estacada, Oregon.
Kaukauna Utilities partnered with 1000 Islands Environmental Center, and Park Community Charter School, to implement National Energy Education Development (NEED) curriculum. Kaukauna Utilities Staff provided tours, engaging demonstrations, and hands-on activities to support the NEED curriculum. This provided school children a beneficial educational experience that included education on the function and history of Kauakauna’s hydropower, a tour of a hydropower facility and other renewable energy and energy efficiency activities. The school was recognized for its efforts by NEED as the top school in the state and was a finalist for national recognition.
Industry News RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News NHA announces joint Statement with river/environmental communities to advance hydropower & healthy rivers.
Industry News Energy Department officials & technology developers discussed the potential market opportunities for marine energy
Upcoming Events On October 20, 2021 in Atlanta, GA, NHA will open the gates to waterpower’s new trade show and conference.
Press Releases The bill makes pumped storage hydropower eligible for the investment tax credit (ITC), along with an extension of the…
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Expanding hydropower and marine energy production in the U.S. is among NHA’s top priorities. Learn more about NHA’s common-sense energy policy reforms to strengthen the industry.
Washington doesn’t operate in a vacuum. What happens in Congress affects the growth and vitality of the hydropower and marine energy industries. Find out how you can take action to support waterpower’s legislative initiatives.
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
Staff at your NHA have been working hard to reach out to the media to amplify waterpower’s message. And, that work on members’ behalf is paying off! Recent news coverage highlights Congressional support for hydropower and industry challenges.
Yesterday, Canary Media published an article that delved into the need for increased pumped storage hydropower development as the U.S. transitions to a clean energy grid: Pumped hydro grid storage could be poised for a comeback.
And with the Build Back Better Act still in Congressional limbo, Engineering News-Record filed a story (Collaboration Yields Funds for Dam Safety and Upgrades) on how the hydropower industry, river advocates & dam safety officials continue to work together to accelerate the “3Rs”: Rehabilitate, Retrofit & Removal of America’s dams.
Also, following the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee’s Hearing on Hydropower, a number of articles focused on the bipartisan support hydropower has gained.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
Thank you to all members who have already processed their 2022 membership renewals. We appreciate your support. As a reminder, renewals are due no later than February 15th. If you need any assistance, please contact Diane Lear at diane@hydro.org, or Kimberly Costner at kimberly@hydro.org.
FERC Chairman Glick Confirmed to Speak at Waterpower Week!
NHA is happy to announce that Chairman Glick will be a Keynote Speaker at Waterpower Week in Washington 2022. Chairman Richard Glick was named by President Biden to be Chairman of the Federal Regulatory Commission on January 21, 2021.
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Tell Congress to continue robust funding of the Water Power Technologies Office!
The commercialization of new advanced water power technologies represents a substantial opportunity for the United States to meet our increasing electricity needs with a clean source of energy that stimulates a broad range of job-creating industries.
Today, marine energy is an emerging industry which is developing cutting edge technologies that generate electricity from waves, currents, tides and in-stream resources. And hydropower, one of the most affordable and reliable electricity resources, is developing new technology to improve efficiency, flexibility, and environmental performance.
Funding, however, is needed to assist private sector-led research, development, and deployment of new innovative hydropower, pumped storage and marine energy technologies, which is supported by the Water Power Technologies Office within the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Reunite at NHA’s First In-Person Regional Meeting in Over a Year!
NHA will hold the 2021 Northeast Regional Meeting in Niagara, NY on July 20-21.
It has been over a year since we last gathered and we are beyond excited to reconvene in a few weeks. This event will feature a special NHA Members Only Regional Policy discussion on July 20 during which we will open the floor to discuss key regional opportunities in markets, state legislatures, and unique challenges faced by the industry in the northeast. Daniella Piper, the first woman to head the Niagara Power Project is the Opening Keynote Speaker on July 21. Other highlights include an in-depth discussion on Cybersecurity and how it affects hydropower in the region, a discussion on wholesale electricity markets, and a panel on project reinvestment and safety.
Questions? Contact Marla Barnes at marla@hydro.org.
“I received a BIG thank you from my fellow industry colleague who told me my OPEX submittal had saved them from a potential $1 million equipment failure. Making a difference feels pretty good!” — Scott Klabunde, Owner, HydroPartners |
Over the past few months, there have been 14 new events added to the Operational Excellence database.
Events include:
Each real-life event describes what happened and what is being done to prevent the event (if negative) from happening again.
Why it matters: By reviewing the events, staff at your organization can be gain knowledge and insight, then use that to be proactive in solving operational and safety problems…before they become costly and/or unsafe issues.
Access to this info is available to EVERY employee of EVERY NHA member.
To register, go here: https://hydroexcellence.org/registration/
Want a walk-through of the database to help your staff use it most efficiently? Schedule a free informational webinar for your staff to have a walk-through of the Operational Excellence database by contacting luci@hydro.org. This database is a great tool available to all NHA members.
As a professional society, the National Hydropower Association is committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas. Consistent with this commitment, it is the policy of the NHA that all participants in NHA activities will enjoy a welcoming environment, free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation, and comply with NHA’s anti-trust policy. All participants in NHA activities also agree to comply with all rules and conditions of the activities, which are subject to change. This policy applies to all participants in NHA activities, including but not limited to event attendees, students, guests, staff, contractors, exhibitors, and participants in sessions, tours, and other social events of any NHA meeting or other activity.
All individuals must behave responsibly in NHA activities in which they participate. Threatening physical or verbal actions and disorderly or disruptive conduct will not be tolerated. Harassment, including verbal comments relating to gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other protected status, or sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, unauthorized or inappropriate photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention, will not be tolerated. All individuals participating in NHA activities must comply with these standards of behavior.
Violations should be reported to the organizer of the activity. In NHA’s sole discretion, unacceptable behavior may result in removal or denial of access to meeting facilities or activities, and other penalties, without refund of any applicable registration fees or costs. In addition, violations may be reported to the individual’s employer. Repeat offenders may be banned from future NHA activities.
Please help us test if you can complete a survey with the below form!
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ORPC improves people’s lives, and their environment, through sustainable energy solutions. Headquartered in Portland, Maine, ORPC has wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Chile and Ireland. The company’s power systems generate proven baseload renewable energy from free-flowing rivers and tides.
ORPC’s RivGen® unit installed at the remote village of Igiugig, Alaska, became the longest operating riverine hydrokinetic energy device in the Americas. ORPC is leveraging its successful core technology to capture broad markets ranging from distributed generation (Modular RivGen) to community tidal (TidGen80) and utility scale (Optimor) applications.
In October 2020, Verdant Power deployed three of its fifth-generation turbines mounted on a single TriFrame™ in New York City’s East River – a tidal strait. To date, this one-half scale demonstration project has exceeded expectations and generated 210 MWh in the first six months of continuous operation, a record for marine energy production in the United States. Most importantly, the turbines performed at over 99% availability and established a water-to-wire efficiency, including all losses, of 46%.
The draft NOI first seeks comment regarding when the Commission should require financial assurance from licensees. For example, should the Commission include a financial assurance requirement in original licenses, on relicense, or in other authorizations, such as exemptions, amendment requests, and transfers? The NOI also seeks comment on whether and how often the Commission should require licensees to reaffirm or recertify that they have adequate financial assurance instruments in place.
The draft NOI also outlines three potential options that Commission staff has identified for establishing financial assurance mechanisms in hydroelectric licenses: (1) requiring licensees to obtain bonds to cover the costs of safety measures and project operation and maintenance; (2) establishing an industry-wide trust or remediation fund or requiring licensees to maintain an individual trust, escrow, or remediation fund; or (3) requiring licensees to obtain insurance policies for unforeseen safety hazards or dam failures.
NHA will file comments on FERC’s NOI on Financial Assurance Measures for Hydropower. Please email dennis@hydro.org if you would like to participate in the comment development process. A schedule for comment development will be posted once the NOI is published in the Federal Register. Initial thoughts and analysis of the NOI are welcome. Here is FERC’s announcement, press release, staff presentation, and NOI text.
Last year, the Department of Energy released the U.S. Hydropower Market Report (January 2021 edition). It is a useful source of information on U.S. hydropower development, performance, and supply chain trends. DOE is in the process of preparing a new edition of the Market Report, and NHA plans to provide them with industry feedback for future content. Please review the Market Report and take our 5-minute questionnaire.
Thanks to the outstanding turnout from NHA members and the waterpower industry for National Hydropower Day, NHA was named a winner in the PR News’ Nonprofit Awards in the category of Social Media Campaign. NHA is looking forward to another great year of social media turnout on August 24, 2022 for National Hydropower Day!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Who was the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the U.S.?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We look forward not only to to the great good this will do in the development of power, but also in the development of thousands of homes, the bringing in of millions of acres of new land for future Americans,” while visiting Grand Coulee Dam during its construction.
March 10 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET: Markets Committee Symposium – Add to calendar
NHA and Grid Strategies will be hosting a thought leader discussion to explore how markets can better value the firmness and flexibility provided by hydropower and pumped storage. Our members will hear from national thought leaders about where these markets are going and what that could mean for hydro. Importantly, we have reserved 45 minutes at the end for a NHA member-only discussion to gather key takeaways and begin discussing effective strategies for success.
You can find the context for this meeting and slated discussion questions here.
April 7 at 2:45 PM ET – In-person committee meeting at Waterpower Week in Washington –
Alberici is a diversified construction company recognized for superior quality, customer service, and above all, our rock-solid reliability. Centrally headquartered in St. Louis, we maintain operations throughout North America, servicing many repeat clients coast-to-coast. Alberici is a long-standing leader in the broader power generation construction industry, and is responsible for the construction of the largest hydroelectric power plant in operation on the Ohio River. Within our Energy and Heavy Civil Markets, we self-perform up to 70% of the work on hydroelectric, dam rehabilitation and other marine works projects, which allows us greater control over critical aspects of complex construction work.
Learn more: https://alberici.com/
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WPW program features 4 workshops on Thursday morning:
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Send us your guess for how many people will be attending Clean Currents 2022!
Hint: We’re currently expecting double from last year!
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to the last edition’s question: The 6 Clean Currents Host utilities own 6,816 MW of hydropower capacity. This makes up 67% of the hydropower capacity in the state of California.
Michels Construction, Inc. is the premier, go-to contractor for a wide variety of marine work on lakes, rivers, and inlets. We have the experience, capabilities, capacity, and equipment required to tackle projects of all sizes, including many large-scale projects simultaneously. Our commercial divers, surveyors, construction crews and project management teams are among the industry’s best. Our in-house engineering staff works to ensure the development and implementation of technically sound design solutions, including the incorporation of value engineering whenever possible.
Learn more here
Waggoner Engineering was founded in 1976 as a civil engineering firm passionate about helping communities realize their potential. For almost 50 years, Waggoner has provided solutions through a culture of integrity, service, and creativity for our clients. From idea conception to project implementation, we collaborate with our partners throughout each project phase to ensure we achieve ultimate value, responsiveness, and customer service. Today, we have 13 offices in five states and are recognized for our innovative, multi-disciplinary services that make it much more than a traditional engineering firm. We don’t just plan and design infrastructure – we transform communities.
Learn more here NHA’s membership is made up of more than 300 companies and organizations. Bookmark the online member directory for easy reference.
NHA members Kiewit and Stantec, for their involvement in the Santa Anita Spillway Modification Project, selected as the “National Rehabilitation Project of the Year” by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO)
Do you know of NHA member organizations or employees working for those organizations who deserve a public pat on the back? Please share with marla@hydro.org.
Clean Currents is Less Than Two Weeks Away!
You can sort and/or filter the dynamic program here to find the best learning path for you.
Don’t miss these great in-person networking opportunities!
During Clean Currents, stop by NHA’s booth (#531). Find out how NHA is working for you and how you/your colleagues can benefit by getting involved in the association.Not yet registered for Clean Currents? It’s not too late!
December 5-6, 2022: Southeast Regional Meeting
Buckle up! The National Hydropower Association is heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the 2022 Southeast Regional Meeting. Join us on December 5-6 for 2 days of networking, discussion, and insights. Host Utility Tennessee Valley Authority is offering a tour of one of their facilities in the region. We only have enough spots for 50 people on the tour so register today! Learn more here.
TELL CONGRESS HYDROWORKS TO CREATE JOBS
NHA is pleased to announce that Waterpower Week in Washington 2021 will take place on April 28-30, 2021. The event will continue to focus on legislation, policy and regulation affecting our industry, and will take place simultaneously with the now-rescheduled International Conference on Ocean Energy.
Use the interactive map below to explore plant- and dam-level data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Find existing facilities, high-potential Non-Powered Dams, and projects in development. Click on pins or Congressional Districts for more information. NOTE: the Search Function (top left) only provides results for existing plants.
Hydropower was America’s 1st source of renewable electricity, long before the growth of wind and solar. The flexibility and dispatchability of hydropower also complements the expansion of variable renewables, creating a more reliable and resilient grid system.
Today, hydropower still generates about 28% of total renewable electricity. In 2022, conventional hydropower generated enough electricity to power 35.1 million homes. Despite yearly fluctuations in generation, hydropower has remained, in the long run, a reliable source of power across the country.
The United States has been generating electricity from hydropower since the 1880s. In its early years, the construction and management of hydropower was fostered by the federal government. The Bureau of Reclamation became involved in 1902, and soon after, Congress began authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to build hydro facilities across the country. Today, conventional hydropower is owned and operated by a variety of entities, such as the federal government, public power, and private producers.
In 2022, conventional hydropower generation avoided emitting 180.6 million metric tons (MMTs) of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq), or 48 coal-fired power plants worth of CO2eq in one year. It would take 50,231 windmills to offset the same amount of carbon emissions that conventional hydropower does in a year.
There are many hydropower projects still in the development pipeline that have yet to be built. A majority of new hydro projects are pumped storage hydropower. Advancing these projects through permitting and into construction will create high quality jobs in the energy sector across the United States.
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagara, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
-Nora Rosemore, Minnesota Power, Member, Women in Hydropower Mentorship Program Steering Committee.“The feedback about women’s experiences in this mentorship program has been overwhelmingly positive and illustrates how critical women-to-women mentorship is.”
The OSAW awards annually recognize deserving organizations in the waterpower industry for projects that exhibit exemplary operational, educational, historical, recreational, or environmental enhancement and stewardship.
Waterpower’s proven track record of providing a domestic source of clean, renewable, and reliable electricity for more than 125 years is no accident. It has taken hard work, perseverance, creativity, innovation, and a collaborative spirit.
Today, these same values are also driving a new generation of waterpower projects that harness the power of oceans, tides, man-made conduits and other waterways, in addition to rivers.
Learn about 2021 OSAW winners here.
The 2022 application will close June 1st and the winners will be presented at Clean Currents, October 18-20, in Sacramento, CA.
Last year, the Department of Energy released the U.S. Hydropower Market Report (January 2021 edition). It is a useful source of information on U.S. hydropower development, performance, and supply chain trends. DOE is in the process of preparing a new edition of the Market Report, and NHA plans to provide them with industry feedback for future content. Please review the Market Report and take our 5-minute questionnaire.
What do NHA member organizations Duke Energy, Grand River Dam Authority, New York Power Authority, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company have in common? They are sending large groups of employees to NHA’s annual policy conference. Join these members! Register today!
5 Reasons to Attend
First-Timers Fun Fact: 1 in every 5 people registered for Waterpower Week are brand new to this event! NHA is excited to see so many new faces at this upcoming annual policy event.
It also helps states meet clean energy goals by enabling more renewables, like wind and solar, onto the grid. Hydropower utilizes excess generation, and stands ready to produce power during low wind and solar generation periods. Hydro also has the ability to quickly ramp electricity generation up in response to periods of peak demand.
With the passage of the third economic stimulus package, Congress is still requesting ideas for a fourth coronavirus package down the road. As lawmakers negotiate the legislation, infrastructure may not be a priority at this moment and may have to wait for another bill beyond this one.
When there is an opportunity for a stimulus package that will include infrastructure, NHA will advocate for the hydropower sector to receive equal treatment to other energy sectors such as extending the start construction and safe harbor guidelines to qualify for renewable tax credits for 5 years. Senate Energy Natural Resource Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski is strongly considering submitting the American Energy Innovation Act as a part of any infrastructure package. This legislation maintains provisions that we support such as:
Throughout America, countless hydropower facilities are providing recreational opportunities in their communities. For example, in North Carolina, Duke Energy successfully developed the Pines Recreation Area and High Falls Trail as part of the West Fork Hydroelectric Project. Visitors now have access to a hiking and whitewater boating access trail, fishing pier, picnic facilities, educational and historical signage, and a swim beach.
Additionally, the hiking trail, which has been recognized as one of the most well-constructed, minimally invasive and scenic in the region, offers 0.8 miles of scenic downhill trail to the spectacular 120-foot High Falls waterfalls and the West Fork Tuckasegee River gorge.
In Spokane, Washington, Avista Corporation developed the Huntington Park and Spokane Tribal Gathering Place. Previously a parking lot, the Spokane Tribal Gathering Place connects the transformed Huntington Park to the city’s Riverfront Park, allowing the public access to the Spokane River Lower Falls for the first time in 100 years. Today, visitors can access the Lower Falls and along the way experience interpretive signs, sculptures, and artifacts that depict the area’s history, including Native American, European American and hydroelectric development.
Save the Date! The 2024 Alaska Regional Meeting will be held in Juneau, Alaska at the Baranof Downtown on August 28-29.
Save the date for the most exciting week in waterpower! Clean Currents 2024 will be held October 7-10, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.
Save the Date! The 2024 California Regional Meeting will be held in Redding, California at the Sheraton Redding Hotel on December 10-11.
Save the Date! The industry’s premier policy event, Waterpower Week 2025, will take place at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC from March 31- April 2, 2025
Clean Currents 2023, taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio, from October 10 - 13, will have three exciting tour opportunities available. With spots going fast, atte…
National Hydropower Day takes places on August 24, and it’s a yearly celebration of the importance of hydropower, as well as an excellent opportunity to share …
The Northeast Regional Meeting takes place July 25 and 26 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it's an excellent opportunity for those involved with hydropower t…
Applications for NHA's Dr. Kenneth Henwood Award are now being accepted, and nominations are due by August 1, 2023. The award honors the memory of Dr. Kenneth …
Throughout the U.S., hydropower operators are working with communities to protect wildlife and enhance environmental protections. For example, in Washington, PacifiCorp teamed up with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire 5,000 acres of land, resulting in 15,162 total acres of wildlife mitigation lands in the Lewis River basin.
In addition to helping states meet clean energy goals by enabling more renewables onto the grid, hydropower enriches our communities in more ways than you think. From wildlife protection to boating, no other renewable protects and preserves our natural ecosystem, while providing recreational opportunities, like hydropower.
SummaryAlert! IRS issues prevailing wage, apprenticeship requirements
NHA staff learned that on Tuesday, November 29th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 22-61. This Notice provides taxpayers with information on how to satisfy the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for enhanced tax benefits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The Notice also provides guidance on the Beginning of Construction and the respective Safe Harbor. The Notice will be published in the Federal Register today (November 30, 2022), which begins the 60-day period. NHA Asks EPA Not to Expand the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program Working on its members’ behalf, NHA last week (on November 23) filed a response to the Patagonia Petition that requested the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgate a rulemaking that would expand the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program to include a new source category for dams and reservoirs. NHA requested that the EPA not grant the Petition because the Petition is without merit and the regulatory burden would far outweigh any societal benefit.Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Our Southeast Regional Meeting Hosted by TVA is next week! Register Here
TVA’s recreation team created trading cards with dam data and hiking tips. How many TVA trading cards are there to collect?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Hydroalp is an Italian company specialized in the construction of hydroelectric turbines, water to wire HPPs, revamping and maintenance services of existing HPPs. We are part of a solid industrial group, with high-level professionalism, a wide range of reliable and innovative products, and an effective after-sales service. These strengths ensure Hydroalp is the ideal partner for your hydroelectric project!
Learn more here
GreenGenStorage is a California-based development team with specialized and highly skilled regulatory, legal, siting, permitting, and finance experience in the energy sector. We have spent our careers working on and supporting environmental causes and encouraging renewable energy. Project development is guided by a deep commitment to respecting and protecting the environment and resources where possible, and to mitigating changes where needed. The project team pledges to work closely with Tribes, environmental resource agencies, and interested stakeholders to ensure that this commitment is met.
Learn more here
Next week, NHA offers two industry activities in Chattanooga, Tennessee – still time to register!
Awards season may be over for Hollywood, but at NHA, it is just starting!
Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) applications and Dr. Kenneth Henwood Award nominations are now open. OSAW applications close June 1 and Henwood nominations close August 1, so get those applications in soon!
The OSAW awards honor deserving organizations in the hydropower and marine energy industry for projects that exhibit exemplary operational, educational, historical, recreational, or environmental enhancement and stewardship.
The Henwood Award is the hydropower industry’s highest honor and celebrates a lifetime of achievement to those who show great leadership and dedication to hydropower.
to Chris Tomichek of Kleinschmidt and James Mearns of NCPA for answering last edition’s question correctly!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What hydropower facility will be toured at next week’s Midwest Regional Meeting in St. Louis, MO?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970.
In business since 1953, C.C. JENSEN’s CJC™ brand is the original kidney-loop filter.
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Asilea group is a power and energy project developer and owner. We develop for us, and we develop for others. Our team has gone through the origination, development and permitting, funding and financing, construction and operation of large and small power generating projects, generally IPP-type structured under a project financed basis. In the US we focus on small to medium size renewable projects particularly hydroelectric plants and hybrid innovative solutions.
Our < 1 MW Walker Mill Dam project in Virginia which sell electricity under a long term PPA is an example. We refer you to our website www.asilea.com for further information.
Working in the Midwest?
Register for the 2022 Midwest Regional Meeting co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG) in St. Louis, MO on May 10-11. This exciting event includes a tour of Ameren’s Taum Sauk and an Asset Owner Only meeting facilitated by MHUG Register here
Summary
Hydropower is America’s first renewable. And today it’s the largest generator of clean, renewable energy. With a U.S. fleet of over 2,000 active power plants, hydropower provides energy to over 30 million American homes. As impressive as that sounds, its growth potential is immense.
How does it work? Well, it’s simple. The force of falling water spins a turbine. The turbine connected to a generator. The turbine causes generator to spin, which converts it into electric energy.
Throughout America, countless hydropower facilities are providing recreational opportunities in their communities.
In addition to helping states meet clean energy goals by enabling more renewables onto the grid, hydropower enriches our communities in more ways than you think. From wildlife protection to boating, no other renewable protects and preserves our natural ecosystem, while providing recreational opportunities, like hydropower.
Specifically, it will:
“We have the opportunity to build stronger, more resilient water infrastructure and hydropower systems in the United States, and the Twenty-First Century Dams Act advances an innovative plan to rehabilitate, retrofit, or remove U.S. dams (the 3Rs) to bolster clean energy production while taking steps to conserve our waterways for generations to come,” said Rep. Kuster. “It is rare to see such coordination and unified problem-solving from across industries, and I am proud to introduce this legislation in the House to enhance America’s clean energy production and the health of our nation’s rivers.”
“The state of Alaska has tremendous hydroelectric potential, and through it, we can provide our rural and remote communities with reliable, renewable energy,” said Congressman Don Young. “Unfortunately, our state is home to dams in urgent need of repair and retrofitting, in addition to dams that need to be removed outright. Today, I am proud to join Congresswoman Annie Kuster as we introduce the Twenty-First Century Dams Act, which will make significant investments to achieve these goals. I have long supported utilizing Alaska’s vast hydropower capabilities, and was proud to support projects such as the Terror Lake Hydroelectric Plant and the Swan Lake Hydroelectric Project. Our bill will help us truly unleash Alaska’s hydro momentum so that we can not only diversify our energy portfolio, but secure clean, affordable energy for future generations. I call on my friends on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress to help us get the Twenty-First Century Dams Act across the finish line.”
“The Twenty-First Century Dams Act is a critical step in efforts to modernize our nation’s dams and hydropower systems,” said Senator Feinstein. “The bill includes significant investments to increase the safety and power generation of our dams, a particularly important issue for California. Hydropower generation is a critical part of a comprehensive climate strategy to mitigate U.S. carbon emissions, a complement to increasing solar and wind generation. The bill will also allow for the removal of unnecessary dams and the restoration of river ecosystems. We know all too well in California that we must invest in our water infrastructure, and modernizing dams and hydropower is a big step in that direction.”
“Hydropower’s existing fleet plays a significant role in America’s clean energy infrastructure, and will play a critical role in achieving President Biden’s goal of a zero-carbon electricity grid,” said Malcolm Woolf, CEO & President of the National Hydropower Association. “With the right tools, we can optimize generation efficiency and output, make environmental enhancements, and bolster dam safety – outcomes that will lead to more clean energy and healthier rivers. The hydropower industry, along with the river and climate communities, have found common ground to address the nation’s 90,000 dams, and we applaud Rep. Kuster, Rep. Young, and Senator Feinstein for leading a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the performance of the existing hydropower fleet.”
“The major agreement we brokered last October between the U.S. hydropower industry and environmental community has led to an exciting opportunity to address climate change and the health of our nation’s rivers through the “3Rs” — rehabilitating some of the nation’s 90,000 dams for safety, retrofitting some for power, and removing some for conservation,” said Dan Reicher, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy, Senior Scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute, and Founding Executive Director, Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance. “The 3Rs legislation being introduced in both the House and Senate will help seize this terrific opportunity, with great upside for people and the planet.”
“Healthy, free-flowing rivers are essential to our future as we face the challenges of climate change. Investing in dam removal and river restoration will revitalize ecosystem health, improve public safety and strengthen communities,” said Tom Kiernan, President, American Rivers. “We applaud Rep. Kuster, Rep. Young, and Senator Feinstein for recognizing the need to improve the safety and management of dams, and for prioritizing healthy rivers. We urge Congress to enact all of the elements of this important bipartisan package together.”
“The Twenty-First Century Dams Act addresses our nation’s more than 90,000 dams targeting investments to ensure they are safe for our communities and can meet the energy and environmental needs of the 21st century. The Act also supports a historic investment to restore at least 10,000 miles of free-flowing rivers, emphasizing the critical role healthy freshwater ecosystems play in allowing people and nature to adapt to a changing climate,” said Tara Moberg, Global Freshwater Advisor for The Nature Conservancy. “Taken as a comprehensive package, these are critical and timely infrastructure investments, and we’re grateful for the leadership of Rep. Kuster, Rep. Young, Senator Feinstein and all of the original co-sponsors to make sure they are on the table.”
“The Twenty-First Century Dams Act is an important step for our freshwater ecosystems,” said Jeff Opperman, Global Freshwater Lead Scientist, WWF. “This legislation would make critical investments in river restoration while contributing to solving the climate crisis and moving us further down the road toward smart infrastructure. These benefits will be seen across the US, and also serve as a model for how communities around the world can craft solutions to find a better balance between river systems and water management infrastructure.”
“We have no doubt that the goals of this landmark proposal are achievable,” said Shannon Ames, Executive Director of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. “Environmental and safety investments in dams have fallen behind where they haven’t been specifically incentivized or valued by the marketplace or regulatory policy. This bill will go a long way to closing the gap between what we have and what we need for more adaptable, responsive, safe, and protected river systems.”
“Deficient and unregulated dams pose a public-safety threat to thousands of U.S. citizens, their property, and the environment,” said Lori Spragens, executive director of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. “Recent dam failures and incidents show the urgent need for stronger state and federal dam safety programs and policies to ensure the safety of communities living near dams. ASDSO applauds Representative Kuster and Representative Young for introducing legislation to address this public safety need.”
“ASCE fully supports increased investments in our nation’s dams, which are largely overlooked when infrastructure needs are addressed,” said Jean-Louis Briaud, Ph.D., P.E. “Chronic lack of investment in the nation’s 91,000 dams has led to the sector receiving a ‘D’ grade in the 2021 ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, as more than 2,300 high-hazard dams are now considered deficient. By prioritizing dams, including the National Dam Safety Program and the High Hazard Potential Dam Rehabilitation Program, we can help keep communities safe and protect the environment.”
“Our nation’s hydropower fleet developed over the last century and it is past time to take a critical look at the future of this energy source. Some projects where environmental and social justice impacts outweigh societal benefits are candidates for removal, while others would benefit from investments to address deferred maintenance and provide environmental upgrades,” said Thomas O’Keefe, Chair, Hydropower Reform Coalition. “We applaud Representative Kuster for her leadership in bringing diverse interests together and recognizing the opportunity to make investments that address safety issues and improve environmental performance and the health of our nation’s rivers.”
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more informationThe contest is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on behalf of DOE’s Waterpower Technologies Office.
Summary
The NYPA receives the OSAW award at NHA’s Capital Hill reception on May 11, 2009.
NYPA’s FDR Project in New York is the location of a new, innovative method of developing spawning beds for Lake Sturgeon. The use of a comprehensive analytical approach has yielded positive results for NYPA.
A bottom opening hopper barge proved to be an effective means of distributing bed material evenly and precisely in select areas where spawning was observed.
Lake Sturgeon swim across spawning beds placed on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River. Lake Sturgeon are a threatened species in New York, and the spawning beds are designed to increase the population.
FERC Summary of NHA’s comments (page 365):
““Hydropower Association asserts that, despite their potential, hydropower resources do not receive the same tax treatment and eligibility for state RPSs and therefore have not enjoyed the same growth rate as other renewable energy small power producers. Hydropower Association urges the Commission to retain the 20 MW rebuttable presumption for hydropower resources, as would be the case for cogenerators, because hydropower resources are required by the FPA section 10(a) to be best adapted for comprehensive uses, including non-power generation purposes such as irrigation, flood control, navigation, recreation, environmental restoration, and wildlife preservation. Hydropower Association states that non-powered dams by definition were not constructed to generate power. Because power generation is therefore a secondary use of these facilities, Hydropower Association asserts that subjecting these facilities to new avoided cost calculations will necessarily burden hydropower resources more than other small power production facilities. Hydropower Association also asserts that there is almost 5 GW of potential non-power dams that could be developed and that the 20 MW exemption should be retained for these resources.”
FERC decision on eligibility for avoided cost rates:
“However, recognizing some of the challenges that QFs near 1 MW have in participating in such markets that have been identified by commenters, in this final rule we lower the rebuttable presumption from 20 MW to 5 MW, rather than from 20 MW to 1 MW as proposed in the NOPR. Under the final rule, small power production facilities with a net power production capacity at or below 5 MW will be presumed not to have nondiscriminatory access to markets, and, conversely, small power production facilities with a net power production capacity over 5 MW will be presumed to have nondiscriminatory access to markets.”
Is it possible to make clean, renewable energy from rivers while actually restoring wildlife and the wider habitat? Engineers have been looking to change the future of hydropower through fish-safe turbines.
A competitively-bid contract that ensures two of Northfield Mountain’s four pumped-storage hydroelectric units operate during periods of highest-cost electricity would help Massachusetts achieve major savings in energy costs and carbon emissions and maximize the benefits of future offshore wind power, according to a new report by Energyzt Advisors LLC.
In our next NHA Technology Developers Roundtable, we plan to continue discussing how to bridge the gap between R&D and deployment. This time we will do so by exploring the role that national labs can play in providing technical assistance in the development of new waterpower technologies. Specifically, we hope to highlight the strengths and opportunities for collaboration each lab can provide.
To guide the discussion, we ask that roundtable participants fill out the information below. There are 3 sections to this form: 1) Collaboration Experience; 2) Current and Future Generation; and 3) Expectations and Suggestions.
Please fill out this form by Wednesday June 26th to provide enough time to compile your responses ahead of the Roundtable. Please reach out to Connor Nelson (connor@hydro.org) and Sydney Rovner (sydney@hydro.org) with questions or concerns.Clean Currents is on! We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta the week of October 18th.
NHA will be following all state and local COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safest possible in-person event experience. Clean Currents is sure to be a valuable experience to any waterpower professional with over 70% of hydro capacity in the U.S. represented, over 90 speakers confirmed, key federal regulators and agencies participating. While this event will be smaller than originally intended pre-pandemic, it will be a great value for hundreds of industry members who attend.
PSE receives the OSAW award at NHA’s Capital Hill rally on May 11, 2009.
Puget Sound Energy’s floating surface collector has significantly increased the recovery rate of salmonids. In some cases, the recovery rate exceeds 95 percent, roughly double the rate of older generation fish collectors.
The Baker River Hydroelectric Project in Washington state features a deep water reservoir. The new floating surface collector has proven to be an effective tool for enhancing fish passage at these facilities.
Workers on the floating surface collector ensure that fish pass safely through the Baker River project. The floating surface collector transports fish to trucks that haul them around the dam.
Both events play key roles in connecting and educating the North American waterpower industry.
One question we’ve heard is:
Waterpower Week
Clean Currents
Waterpower Week
Clean Currents
Waterpower Week
Clean Currents
So where does hydropower fit into the public conversation? The fact is, for decades, it hasn’t. For the general public, the idea of “clean energy” conjures up images of gleaming solar panels and spinning wind turbines; hydropower has been an afterthought. Anyone familiar with hydropower knows that it is key to a clean energy future, but we haven’t been able to tell our story; rather, it has gone unsaid.
Yet, this is no longer the case. Recognizing the critical need for the industry to proactively raise awareness with the public, NHA launched a digital advertising campaign designed to increase hydropower favorability among millennials.
Entering its third year, the hydropower ad campaign continues the success of 2023’s “Clean Living” and 2022’s “Below the Surface” campaigns and pivots the message to hydropower’s role as the “Solution That’s Right in Front of You” to ensure a 24/7 reliable clean energy grid.
Reaching people was important, but our focus was measuring favorability and ad performance. At the top of the list were two key metrics:
NHA used three platforms to reach our audience: social media (Facebook/Instagram), connected tv (Hulu, Roku, ad-supported tv) and programmatic video (this means you would see the ad on websites like CNN or NY Times).
All told, each person saw the ad 13 times per week over the course of the campaign deployment. To do so, we leveraged 33 million impressions, across 3.8 million devices (phone, table, laptop) to reach nearly 2 million people – exceeding our reach goal.
Again, NHA’s primary goals for the campaign were shifting perceptions of hydropower’s impact in local communities and message retention. To that end, the ad was successful in increasing favorability – with statistically significant +6pts lift in strong positive perceptions of community impact. We saw this positive lift in both regions tested.
And for message retention, our ad saw a statistically significant increase +8pts. For the audience that viewed our ad on connected tv (Hulu, Roku), message retention was as high as +14pts.
The results of the real-world ad deployment boils down into several key takeaways:
Following the measurable success of 2022’s “Beneath the Surface” campaign, NHA went full steam ahead in 2023 and debuted the “Clean Living” campaign. The “Clean Living” ad was seen in three regions (the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest) for 5 weeks in the fall.
We are now running the 2024 campaign, which is entitled, “The Solution That’s Right in Front of You”. We encourage you to share these videos on your own social media and with your family and friends. A campaign like this is not the only way NHA is helping you share your story with your customers, though. Every year, on August 24, NHA and the hydropower industry celebrate National Hydropower Day (#HydroDay). #HydroDay is a day for all those working in the hydropower industry to share the importance of their work with their networks. The ad campaign and other efforts at communicating with hydropower industry stakeholders shows – if we can tell our story in a compelling way, we can increase support for hydropower as the cornerstone of our nation’s clean energy future.Thank you for attending Water Power Week in Washington, D.C. We’d like to know about your experience this year, so please take a few minutes and let us know how we did. Your feedback is important to us.
John Ragonese accepts the OSAW award on behalf of TransCanada at NHA’s Capital Hill rally on May 11, 2009.
Vernon Station was the site of a repowering project that TransCanada documented through an educational DVD that captures and celebrates the transition of this remarkable facility into its second century of operation.
TransCanada’s repowering projects centered on replacing the existing three-wheel turbines with advanced axial flow runners. Under ideal conditions, the new turbines can double the output of their predecessors.
Vernon Station was the first northeastern hydro plant designed to transmit power at high voltages over long distances. The map above displays the early service area of Vernon Station with electricity provided to communities in Central Massachusetts.
NHA is seeking a Vice President of Government Affairs to lead our federal and state legislative efforts. This person will spearhead our efforts to raise the profile of hydropower in state energy policy conversations.
In addition to devising political and policy strategies to advance the Association’s policy objectives and NHA’s strategic plan, this person will support efforts to build alliances with traditional and non-traditional allies to strengthen hydropower’s profile in on-going energy policy debates.This senior position, based in Washington, D.C., will report to the President & CEO.
The Yuba County Water Agency receives the OSAW award at NHA’s Capital Hill rally on May 11, 2009.
The Yuba River Development Project provides climate-friendly, renewable electricity to residents of Northern California. A variety of other benefits also stem from the project including recreation, irrigation, and flood control.
The Lower Yuba River Accord produced a sustainable solution to a 20-year legal and regulatory controversy in California. Stakeholders have praised YCWA for embarking on such a collaborative and effective water use program.
At the core of the Lower Yuba River Accord is an innovative set of flow schedules. The schedules were developed through negotiations between YWCA biologists, consevationists and state and federal resource agency officials.
NHA is happy to welcome our new Vice President of Government Affairs, Jehmal Hudson. Jehmal just finished serving as director of FERC’s Government Affairs Division and will be a huge asset in raising hydropower’s visibility on Capitol Hill and beyond.
A lawyer by training, Jehmal served in a variety of positions on the Hill before joining FERC’s Government Affairs Division in 2010. He worked his way up in the office, becoming its Director a few years ago. In this role, he led FERC’s congressional engagement, building strong relationships with both sides of the aisle and learning how to navigate the corridors of influence in Washington D.C. Jehmal will be a huge asset on both the Hill and in raising hydropower’s visibility.
Jehmal can be reached at jehmal@hydro.org and 202-750-8403
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more informationDo you know someone who would be a great addition to NHA’s Board of Directors? The board is entrusted with setting the strategic direction and policies that govern the Association’s activities. It is an active board and expects its members to take an engaged role in the Association.
We encourage all of you to look within our industry to identify NHA’s next leaders. Nominations are due by August 9th.
Candidates must be members in good standing with strong leadership qualities and experience. Additionally, candidates must have the support of their companies to run for a board seat and be able to travel to attend at least four of the five annual board meetings.
If you would like to submit a nomination, click here to access our Nominations portal. Existing members who have already accessed our portal can use their existing log-in. If this is your first time on our portal, you will asked to create a new account.
In addition to providing contact information, in 500 words or less, you will be ask to tell us why your nominee should serve on NHA’s board.
Reunite at NHA’s First In-Person Regional Meeting in Over a Year!
NHA will hold the 2021 Northeast Regional Meeting in Niagara, NY on July 20-21.
It has been over a year since we last gathered and we are beyond excited to reconvene in a few weeks. This event will feature a special NHA Members Only Regional Policy discussion on July 20 during which we will open the floor to discuss key regional opportunities in markets, state legislatures, and unique challenges faced by the industry in the northeast. Daniella Piper, the first woman to head the Niagara Power Project is the Opening Keynote Speaker on July 21. Other highlights include an in-depth discussion on Cybersecurity and how it affects hydropower in the region, a discussion on wholesale electricity markets, and a panel on project reinvestment and safety.
The powerhouse above was part of a comprehensive enhancement project Brookfield Power undertook at its School Street facility in Cohoes, New York.
The Col. Robert R. Craner Veterans Park sits adjacent to the School Street site and honors a local hero.
The School Street facility sits downstream of the historic Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River in New York.
From left to right: NHA President Leslie Eden, Kim Osmars, Lela Katzman, Tom Uncher, David Youlen, and Julie Smith-Galvin.
What happened?
CAISO, California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission released a joint report providing some early answers to what caused the August blackouts. While the report is the first public analysis of the blackouts, the agencies did not have all the information (for instance, how specific resources performed) needed to answer some questions. Further analysis is likely to come out in the coming months.
What did the report say were the root causes?
The agencies point to multiple causes for the blackouts including climate-driven excessive heat across the west (reducing electricity imports), insufficient planning margins (CA uses a 15% planning reserve margin established in 2004) and issues with the day-ahead energy market (like under-scheduling of demand and virtual trading).
Why is it important?
CAISO and CPUC’s determination of the root causes will likely lead to market changes. Some of the issues mentioned in the report are already being discussed in stakeholder processes while other issues may get renewed attention. One existing stakeholder issue likely to get more attention is this recommendation found on page 66: “In coordination with the CPUC, continue to work with stakeholders to clarify and refine the counting rules as they apply to hydro resources, demand response resources, renewable, use limited resources, and imports” (emphasis added).
What does it mean for hydropower and pumped storage?
According to the report, hydropower resources performed well and met their resource adequacy obligations despite a low water year. As the report points out, because of its flexible nature, hydropower supplies a good portion of ancillary services to the grid. This ranged from 600MW to 1500MW during the most stressed times. And when the CAISO was running short of reserves, these services were vital. In fact, hydro’s performance was best during the net demand peak (peak demand minus the output of wind and solar). During the heat wave, the grid operator’s most difficult situations were around net peak so the ability of hydro to generate output during these times was crucial. Unfortunately, the report gives no indication of the role of pumped storage during the blackouts.
What’s next?
CAISO has scheduled a call for October 15th at 3pm PT to go over the report and answer stakeholder questions.
Security Director Dick Robert can view all camera monitors from his office. The monitors were added as part of a security upgrade program that Chelan County PUD implemented after September 11.
A guard station checks all who enter the Rocky Reach Hydro Project. The security upgrades have allowed a public visitor center and museum at Rocky Reach Dam to remain open.
From left to right: NHA President Leslie Eden, former FBI Agent Dick Robert, Chelan County PUD Commissioner Werner Janssen, and Julie Smith-Galvin of Brookfield Power.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
“A stranger is a friend you have yet to meet …”
It is my privilege to join NHA. Learning about what you – the members – are doing and want to do , establishing if there are any areas I can help with and exchanging some of those hard won experiences that might make something you are involved with go a little better ; these will be my goals in the immediate future.
If what you are doing touches on abating the climate emergency, getting a new process or technology adopted or funding – or any combination of those – I am pretty sure to be interested.
Some of you I know and count as friends; others of you I hope to get to know over coming weeks, if possible without the need for Zoom or Teams but happily through the screen whilst required.
Andrew Smith, Associate, Deja Blue Consulting Limited
Learn more about Deja Blue Consulting Limited HERE
Thursday, May 18, 2023
12:00 to 4:00 pm Eastern Time/9:00 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time
In order of appearance:
President Biden announced his administration’s infrastructure proposal, which includes an ambitious “Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Standard” to achieve 100% carbon-free grid by 2035. The proposal incentivizes and leverages carbon pollution-free energy and includes hydro, providing opportunities for hydropower to compete equitably with other renewables. It also includes a range of tax incentives, such as 5-year extension of the PTC/ITC for hydro and marine energy, and a 30% ITC for pumped storage. NHA released the following statement.
The Rancho Penasquitos Pressure Control/Hydroelectric Facility (RP PCHF) is located in a neighborhood near Mira Mesa, California.
The Horizontal Francis Turbine Generator allows the RP PCHF to generate 4.5 MW of clean, reliable power.
From left to right: NHA President Leslie Eden, Betty Ferguson, Chair of San Diego County Water Authority’s Engineering and Operations Committee; Kelly Rodgers, Julie Smith-Galvin, and Don Froelich.
Boulder Creek, a tributary to the Cascade River in the Skagit watershed, will be permanently protected by Seattle City Light’s purchase of the 1,080 acre Boulder Creek watershed.
Seattle City Light and the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife are partnering on a comprehensive monitoring study on the distribution and population trends of bull trout in the Skagit River.
Seattle City Light partnered with the University of Washington to study the diet and migratory patterns of bull trout in the Skagit River.
Colleen McShane, Seattle City Light’s Manager of Natural Resources and Environmental Planning, delivers a speech on behalf of Seattle City Light, which won an OSAW Award for implementing an endangered fish recovery program.
After the CARES Act became law, Congress began discussing additional legislative packages to address the coronavirus pandemic. Initial discussions contemplated an infrastructure package, but Congressional leadership shifted focus to improving the CARES Act. However, a stalemate emerged over next steps for Congress to provide financial relief for the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, following what may be several smaller bills to address technical issues and funding shortfalls from the CARES Act, Congress will likely turn its attention to legislation intended to jump-start the economy following the coronavirus crisis and get Americans back to work. Congressional Committees with jurisdiction over the nation’s infrastructure are formulating a package, and proposals are likely to surface in the coming weeks.
Senate Energy Natural Resource Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski is strongly considering submitting the American Energy Innovation Act, which NHA supports due to helpful provisions to our industry, such as the BEST Act (pumped storage development language), the River Act (242/243 of EPAct 2005), and marine energy research development. Additionally, NHA responded to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee request for input for possible inclusion in future economic stimulus bills to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to their narrowly-tailored request, we recommended several policy proposals to the committee including the Water Power Resources and Development Act (H.R. 6084), increased funding for the Department of Energy’s WPTO, EERE, and ARPA-E programs, which would create project deployment opportunities in partnership with private industry across the water power sector. NHA will continue to zealously advocate for economic proposals that would provide immediate investment to the hydropower sector.
We do our best to respond promptly, and we appreciate your interest in the National Hydropower Association.
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A rainbow emerges from Engelbright Dam and the Narrows 2 Powerhouse. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the dam in 1941 to protect the lower part of the Yuba River from sediment and debris.
A bypass system was designed and installed at the Narrows 2 Powerhouse. Completed in January 2007, the bypass improved reliability by automatically maintaining flow and water temperature in the Yuba River during emergencies.
From left to right: NHA President Leslie Eden, Yuba County Water Authority President John Nicoletti, Steve Onken, Yuba County Water Authority General Manager Curt Aiken, and Julie Smith-Galvin of Brookfield Power.
(left to right) Dave Youlen, John Whittaker representing Avista Utilities & Julie Smith Galvin)
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appealed directly to investor Warren Buffett to support demolishing four hydroelectric dams on a river along the Oregon-California border to save salmon populations that have dwindled to almost nothing.
Join NHA in Des Moines, Iowa on April 30-May 2, 2024 for the 2024 Midwest Regional Meeting, co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG)!
Register today! The 2024 Southeast Regional Meeting will be held in Auburn, Alabama on January 23-24, 2024!
Save the Date! The industry’s premier policy event, Waterpower Week 2024, will take place at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC on March 13-15, 2024
The 2023 California Regional Meeting will be held in San Diego, California on December 13-14.
Save the date! The 2023 Alaska Regional Meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska on September 12-13.
Join NHA in Middleton, WI for the 2023 Midwest Regional Meeting, co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG)!
Learn how to ensure operator safety and unit reliability! Earn 2 PDHs! Register to join us for the Hydro Academy Course, taught by Eaton, on December 5 in Chattanooga, TN.
NHA MEMBERS ONLY WORKSHOP: Get your answers about the Inflation Reduction Act answered!
FREE VIRTUAL EVENT: Join the NHA Hydraulic Power Committee on June 23 at 1:00 PM ET for a series of panel discussions meant to optimize your dam safety decision making.
Join NHA in Springfield, MA for the 2023 Northeast Regional Meeting, featuring Host Company FirstLight Power!
Save the date! Waterpower week 2023 is being held in Washington, DC May 8-10, 2023.
FREE VIRTUAL EVENT: Join the markets committee on March 10th at noon ET for a wholesale market discussion led by Grid Strategies!
NHA will hold the 2022 Alaska Regional Meeting in Ketchikan, AK
NHA will hold the 2022 Southeast Regional Meeting in Chattanooga, TN on December 5-6, 2022.
NHA will hold the 2022 Northeast Regional Meeting in Baltimore, MD on June 27-28.
October 18-20, 2022 in Sacramento, CA: Support your Industry and Move Waterpower Forward in 2022.
FREE VIRTUAL EVENT: Join us on September 22, at 2:00 PM EDT for NHA’s Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event, “Recognizing Pumped Storage Hydropower on World Energy Storage Day”.
The industry’s premier policy event, Waterpower Week 2022, will take place April 5-7 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC!
Mark your calendar! On May 10-11, NHA will host the 2022 Midwest Regional Meeting with the Midwest Hydro Users Group.
Attend NHA’s 2021 California Regional Meeting virtually in December 2021
(left to right) Dave Youlen, Jeff Lineberger (Duke Energy Rep.) and Julie Smith Galvin.
1. Hear the latest on the infrastructure bill and how your organization can benefit from over $900 million secured by NHA for hydropower and marine energy
2. New pumped storage: San Diego County Water Authority recently received $18 million for the new San Vicente Energy Storage Facility. What does this mean for pumped storage hydro in California and across the US?
San Vincente Energy Storage Facility
3. Join the discussion with operators as they share how they are solving climate-driven operational challenges
How Will You Benefit from the Infrastructure Act?
For all of you, NHA staff created a high-level, 2-page summary of all that’s included for hydropower and marine energy in the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act. The summary is posted in the NHA Portal under “Member Only Resources”
Need details on how to log into the Portal? Email kelly@hydro.org
Answer to last edition’s question: This photo is of the Sudbury Grist Mill in Sudbury, MA, located on the grounds of the Wayside Inn. This is the oldest operating inn in the United States and has been written about by famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
We manufacture new radial and thrust bearings and seals for OEMs both to our customers’ designs and those of our own.
Most importantly we can provide you with peace of mind. When you work with Pioneer you can rest assured that your order is what you want, will do what you want, be delivered when you want it, and be within budget. For more information, please visit https://www.pioneer1.com/ or contact us at sales@pioneer1.com or 704-9374-7000.
Check out the “Connect & Learn” section of NHA’s POWERHOUSE media platform. New articles each week!
(left to right) Dave Youlen, Steven Schoenwiesner (NYPA Rep.) and Julie Smith Galvin.
(left to right) Dave Youlen, Flinda Hill (Southern Company Rep.) and Julie Smith Galvin.
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/467713541
You can also dial in using your phone: +1 (571) 317-3112
Access Code: 467-713-541
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
Waterpower Week – first national event in our sector since passage of the Infrastructure Act! As an employee working for an NHA member organization, you are eligible for NHA member discounted rates.
NAVIGANT STUDY 2009
Congratulations to Mike Drain from CNPPID for answering last edition’s trivia question correctly!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
While you are thinking about who you should nominate for the 2022 Henwood Award. Who was the 2002 Henwood Award winner?
Hint – You can learn more about the Henwood Award and submit a nomination HERE
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: One: Lower Monumental Dam, Two: Ice Harbor Dam, Three: Little Goose Dam, Four: Lower Granite Dam.
Traylor Bros., Inc. (Traylor) is a family-owned corporation founded in 1946. For more than 75 years, Traylor has provided single-source, comprehensive, cutting-edge construction and design-build services to public works agencies throughout North America. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, TBI has regional offices in Long Beach, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Alexandria, Virginia, with a staff of more than 500 engineers, managers, and craftspeople who have proven success managing and executing large-scale heavy civil construction projects.
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Coloma Capital Partners specializes in acquiring or making significant investments in smaller technology-based companies and developing them into substantially larger businesses. The firm has extensive experience with renewable energy and climate change matters and actively seeks additional hydropower-related investment opportunities. Coloma Capital’s founding partner, Bob Underwood, is considered an authority on the history of hydroelectricity. He authored the highly acclaimed book, Dam It! Electrifying America and Taming Her Waterways.
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NHA’s membership is made up of more than 300 companies and organizations. Bookmark the online member directory for easy reference.
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Working in Alaska? Register now for August 15-16, 2022, Alaska Regional Meeting is in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Come network and gain insight in Ketchikan, AK! The 2022 Alaska Regional Meeting will feature robust discussion of policies affecting AK, challenges unique to power producers in the region, and project updates. Ketchikan Public Utilities will host a tour of a Powerhouse in Ketchikan. Learn more here.
Working on behalf of the industry, NHA is actively pursuing regulatory improvements to position the hydropower industry for success. Below you will find our latest regulatory filings and initiatives:
A handful of pro-forma sessions are scheduled in the Senate through the remainder of April. If an agreement on the next response bill is reached before lawmakers are slated to return, each chamber can seek to approve the legislation quickly by voice vote.
Additionally, NHA will push for funding used for power equipment operations and maintenance, upgrades, as well as efficiency and capital improvements at existing facilities that would support critical infrastructure investments made by developers and operators.
The most affordable, achievable means of storing electricity at scale, this technology uses electricity from the grid to move water uphill to a reservoir during times of low power demand and can send the electricity back to the grid by running that water downhill through a hydro turbine during times of peak demand.
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Allowing water to flow from a reservoir through a dam and turbine system, conventional hydro has been reliably generating electricity for decades — and is poised to expand through upgrades and capacity additions at existing facilities.
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Scientists and engineers working to capture the vast power of our oceans are on the cutting edge of energy technology development.
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This technology places turbines in existing water infrastructure, like irrigation canals, where there is minimal environmental footprint.
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Developers and local communities in all regions of the country are re-examining existing dams and infrastructure to support small hydro installations. Small hydro is an important component to expanding U.S. hydro capacity.
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What a difference a year makes!
This time last year, NHA was navigating the ongoing pandemic and wondering whether to launch our inaugural Clean Currents 2021 conference and trade show in October. I’m so glad we did as the event exceeded all expectations.
A year later, hydropower asset owners and the rest of the industry are voting with their feet by committing to return to Clean Currents in Sacramento the week of October 17, 2022.
Continue reading HERE and see what exciting updates we have for you and the waterpower industry.
NHA Opposes Removal of Lower Snake River Dams
NHA went on record opposing the breaching of the dams in response to a draft report released last month by Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). Inslee and Murray are investigating whether there are reasonable means for replacing the benefits provided by the four dams, sufficient that breaching of the dams could be part of a comprehensive salmon recovery strategy for the Pacific Northwest.
In late 2021, Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington State announced a process to examine whether there are reasonable means for replacing the benefits provided by the four Lower Snake River Dams, sufficient that breaching of the dams could be part of a comprehensive salmon recovery strategy for the Pacific Northwest. Findings from this process will be used by Gov. Inslee and Sen. Murray to determine their recommendations on a path forward for the dams.
On June 9, 2022, a draft report, Inslee-Murray Lower Snake River Dams: Benefit Replacement Draft Report, was released.
NHA quickly prepared comments, worked with membership to review/approve, and then submitted to Inslee/Murray the industry’s response.
Highlights of comments:
Congratulations to Christian Porse with Mavel Americas, Inc. and Robert Underwood with Coloma Capital Partners for answering last edition’s trivia question correctly!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Can you match these dam names with their location on the Lower Snake River Dams?
Dam names: Lower Granite Dam, Lower Monumental Dam, Ice Harbor Dam, and Little Goose Dam
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Conwingo Dam began operation in 1928. Two other dams located on the lower Susquehanna River are Holtwood and Safe Harbor.
The pending Congressional Tax Reconciliation package includes several game changing provisions for the hydropower industry, including a 30% investment tax credit for new pumped storage, a 30% investment tax credit for “environmental investments” at existing hydropower facilities, and a 10-year extension of the now expired incentives for incremental new hydropower generation. While NHA continues to push congressional leaders on the importance of these provisions in retaining and enhancing the hydropower and pumped storage fleet, the prospects for final enactment in the divided 50-50 U.S. Senate remain uncertain.
Rumors continue to circulate around Washington, most recently about a potential deal that shrinks the cost of the clean energy package by removing the “direct pay” provisions. These provisions are important to enable the roughly 50% of hydropower assets owned by non-federal public power to benefit from the tax provisions. NHA is coordinating with APPA and other allies on this issue and continues to communicate with the key congressional offices.
Building on the broad bipartisan support expressed by many legislators at the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in May, a bipartisan group of four former FERC Commissioners (including two Chairs) sent Congress last week a letter signaling their support. Nevertheless, there are limited days left before the midterm elections so Congressional action this year appears increasingly unlikely.
Renewable Energy Aggregators – Renewable Energy Aggregators (REA) has identified a novel market opportunity for building charging and refueling infrastructure for America’s emerging Class 8 EV/H2 Commercial Truck Fleet by repurposing hundreds of the Country’s abandoned quarries and non-powered dams located near interstate highway rest stops into scalable renewable energy generators.
REA’s business model seeks to generate and deliver higher power-quality to its customers at considerably lower prices. This business model fundamentally aligns with Federal Clean Energy Policies, and positions REA at the forefront of an entirely new energy market space; Distributed, Behind-The-Meter, Renewable Energy Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IAAS) from a single patented platform.
Although all REA hydropower projects qualify for federal infrastructure grants and subsidies, REA is currently focused on pursuing private funding. We believe this funding methodology will accelerate the start and completion of projects with accompanying positive impacts on local economies and the environment.
Working in Alaska? Register now for August 15-16, 2022, Alaska Regional Meeting is in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Employing fish passage and ladder devices, dam operators help migrating species (such as salmon, steelhead and shad) move through river systems, while a number of best practices and technologies help preserve the aquatic environment for in-river fish species (such as bull trout and rainbow trout) The hydropower industry has for many years pursued a variety of measures to improve fish populations and new technologies are being developed and deployed successfully by hydropower operators to further reduce hydropower’s impacts.
Techniques to lessen dam impacts on animals, plants and surrounding lands include:
Why the change in focus?
With the launch of the new Clean Currents conference and tradeshow, NHA is transforming its Waterpower Week event into one that focuses specifically on the regulatory, policy, markets, and legislative aspects of the hydro industry.
We are intending for Waterpower Week to become the North American hydro industry’s premiere policy event.
Of course, the event remains an important time to hear from and connect with others who affect the industry … regulators, resource agencies, and river and environmental communities.
Even in a virtual environment, we are working hard to find ways to retain the valuable networking opportunities associated with Waterpower Week.
Here’s 5 steps (with screenshots) you can use to get you of how to access:
If you have any questions, contact NHA’s Kelly Rogers, 202.740.0248 or kelly@hydro.org
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Expanding renewable energy production and manufacturing in the United States are among NHA’s top priorities. The U.S. has long used targeted tax credit programs to incentivize investment and innovation in the energy sector. This is true for fossil and renewable resources alike. Tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in private investment across industries — not to mention gigawatts of affordable, reliable, and renewable power — have been driven by smart tax policies.
Currently, the tax incentives for hydropower are expired, while other electricity resources – notably wind and solar – are enjoying long-term extensions. This disparity puts hydropower development at a significant competitive disadvantage, particularly in the eyes of investors who are seeking clarity and certainty.
Hydropower is the nation’s single largest source of renewable electricity. However, further deployment of this clean, reliable energy resource is in jeopardy. As an industry, we strongly urge immediate action on the incentives and policies that have played a critical role in increasing the industry’s contribution to our national energy portfolio. NHA supports an all-of-the-above energy tax policy, but the Congress must fix the inequities under the current policy, which have set up a system that is picking winners and losers.
Given the extraordinary potential for expansion of hydropower and marine energy deployment and job creation, NHA supports these common-sense energy incentive reforms:
Research and development is critical to waterpower’s future. Today, the private sector, national laboratories, and government agencies are undertaking technological and environmental research to develop tomorrow’s hydropower.
The hydropower industry takes an active role in supporting investment in new technologies and project improvements. Among the hundreds of millions of dollars invested each year in environmental enhancements at hydro facilities, companies are developing a new generation of turbines that improve fish passage, generate more power, utilize water more efficiently, and improve the oxygen content of the water released downstream of a facility, among many other inventive projects.
At the center of hydropower R&D is the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Program, which is a critical source of support for the researchers, scientists and developers working to grow hydropower’s contribution to our country’s clean energy resources.
Working with national laboratories, industry, universities, and other federal agencies, the DOE Waterpower Program is charged with developing and deploying innovative technologies for hydropower and marine energy.
Innovation in the hydropower industry also goes beyond creating new technologies. The DOE program plays an important role in gathering baseline industry data, developing updated resource assessments and new growth analyses, studying project operations for maximization of both energy and environmental values, as well as studying new issues that may affect the industry — from potential effects of climate change on plant operations to addressing the energy storage needs to maintain a secure and functioning electric grid.
Unlocking the vast hydropower potential of our rivers, oceans, tides and conduits requires funding to make innovative ideas a reality. Continued investment in this program is crucial to ensuring that innovative new technologies come to market and are able to generate the clean electricity America needs.
Pumped storage is one of the most cost-effective utility-scale options for grid energy storage, acting as a key provider of what is known as ancillary services. Ancillary services include network frequency control and reserve generation – ways of balancing electricity across a large grid system. With an ability to respond almost instantaneously to changes in the amount of electricity running through the grid, pumped storage is an essential component of the nation’s electricity network.
The U.S. has more than 20GW of pumped storage capacity today, with facilities in every region of the country. Developers have proposed an additional 31GW, primarily in the West, to support an increasing amount of variable generation that is coming online.
Dennis Cakert, NHA’s Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs and State Policy, has taken an important position as Lead Analyst for NEPOOL Markets Committee at ISO New England and is departing the association at the end of this week.
You can reach Dennis at dcakert@iso-ne.com. His message to the association: “Roll on NHA, roll on.” We will miss Dennis and wish him all the best.
Monica Derbes Gibson joins NHA as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. A former EPA attorney and Department of Justice trial attorney, Monica will bring experience working in federal agencies to the role.
DOE Grants apply to section 242 and 243 for years 2000 – 2021. Funding for FY2022 provides increased funding in section 242 to $125M, Section 243 to $75 million and adds a new section 247 with $553.6 million.
Photo courtesy of NHA’s Dennis Cakert
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: The Conowingo Dam on the lower Susquehanna River prevents 880,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
On Global Hydropower Day 2022, NHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET). With Global Hydropower Day’s message of unity as the backdrop, the MOU established a framework for the advancement of gender equality and empowers women in the energy sector.
By working together, both NHA and the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition will develop initiatives, projects, and programs with the explicit aim of empowering women, fostering equal opportunities between women and men, and contributing to gender mainstreaming in the energy sector. Watch the interview with Barbara Fischer-Aupperle, Founding Partner of GWNET, and Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO of NHA, where they discuss the MOU and the importance of advancing gender equality and women empowerment in the energy sector.
NHA events are for the industry, by the industry, and surface waterpower priorities. You can influence what sessions and panels appear in future conferences.
| State | Conventional Hydro MWh | Total MWh | Total Renewables MWh | Hydro as a % of total | Hydro as a % of renewable | Powered & Non-powered Dams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1,426,193 | 6,203,230 | 1,569,190 | 23% | 90.89% | 96 |
| Arizona | 5,950,654 | 110,126,600 | 8,597,650 | 5.40% | 69.21% | 346 |
| California | 24,541,380 | 199,997,700 | 61,105,380 | 12.27% | 40.16% | 1,468 |
| Colorado | 1,258,341 | 53,396,300 | 8,901,340 | 2.36% | 14.14% | 1,795 |
| Hawaii | 90,780 | 9,813,795 | 1,039,815 | 0.93% | 7.55% | 138 |
| Idaho | 9,100,528 | 15,741,960 | 12,274,530 | 57.81% | 74.14% | 428 |
| Montana | 9,953,300 | 27,573,220 | 11,614,300 | 36.10% | 85.70% | 2,916 |
| Nevada | 2,681,573 | 36,494,480 | 6,493,570 | 7.35% | 41.30% | 512 |
| New Mexico | 185,477 | 36,042,320 | 2,802,480 | 0.51% | 6.62% | 519 |
| Oregon | 33,457,372 | 60,164,740 | 41,984,370 | 55.61% | 79.69% | 935 |
| Utah | 633,830 | 42,822,570 | 1,576,830 | 1.48% | 40.2% | 795 |
| Washington | 77,906,959 | 113,321,300 | 86,657,960 | 68.75% | 89.90% | 746 |
| Wyoming | 716,600 | 52,395,110 | 5,131,600 | 1.37% | 13.96% | 1,416 |
Sources: USACE NID, EIA
This modernization project will increase the facility’s power generation capacity by more than 40 MW and boost turbine efficiency to 95% or better. Alstom’s new ultra-efficient Francis runners (the central, rotating parts of hydroelectric turbines) are not only bringing the facility up to date, but when completed, will also deliver clean electricity to an additional 30,000 homes in the Northwestern U.S.
Already underway, the $120 million project will provide an economic boost to the region through 2017. Installing the new Alstom equipment will also protect wildlife such as salmon and steelhead. The project is an example of the incredible opportunities to grow renewable energy generation sustainably at the country’s existing dams.
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
Conventional hydropower projects make up the majority of the water power generated in the U.S. today and have been doing so reliably for decades.
Some conventional hydropower projects use a dam to collect and release water
in controlled circumstances. Dams are often built on rivers where there is a drop in elevation creating what is known as “head” — the height difference between the water contained in the reservoir behind the dam and that of the water released below the dam, use the gravity of the flowing water to produce clean renewable power. A higher head means that water will flow with more force through a turbine to generate more power.
Water stored behind a dam enters the turbine through a pipe called a penstock. Water flows from the penstock to turn the blades of a turbine, which spins a shaft connected to the generator that generates electricity. Water then flows out of the turbine and back into the river beyond.
There are approximately 80,000 dams in the U.S., but only three percent of them currently generate electricity. Learn more about adding power to our existing dams.
In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8 at 2:00 PM ET, the National Hydropower Association in partnership with Marine Renewables Canada will be hosting a Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event, “Riding Waves, Currents & Tides: Advancements in Marine Energy.”
World Oceans Day is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on marine energy technologies (wave, tidal, ocean current, ocean thermal, and riverine) – North America’s next-gen renewable.
Marine energy is believed to be the missing link for meeting North America’s clean energy goals and decarbonizing the electricity grid as it has the potential to power hundreds of millions of homes.
On March 30th, the National Hydropower Association’s Path to Clean Energy hosted a virtual event titled: “The Vast Potential of Marine Energy”.
Event featured Energy Department officials and technology developers discussing the market opportunities for marine energy (wave, tidal, ocean current, ocean thermal, and riverine marine).
On March 11th the National Hydropower Association’s Path to Clean Energy hosted the Virtual Event, “Pairing Batteries & Hydropower: Clean Energy’s Untapped Solution”, in partnership with the Energy Storage Association.
On December 7th NHA hosted its latest Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event, “The Role of Hydropower in a Rapidly Decarbonizing Grid”, featuring panelists from American Rivers, Stanford Woods Institute for Environment and Union of Concerned Scientists.
On October 13th, NHA hosted the Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event, “What the 2020 Election mean for Clean Energy” hosted in partnership with ClearPath. Panelists explored energy platforms & clean energy proposals.
On July 23, the National Hydropower Association hosted its inaugural Path to Clean Energy Virtual Event, “What’s After Renewable Portfolio Standards?” in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials.
Wave and tidal power technologies represent a huge opportunity to create reliable, clean energy. While these technologies are currently in various stages of research, development and deployment, industry estimates have pegged US wave potential at 90GW. In Florida alone, an estimated 4 to 10GW of potential is thought possible, according to a University of Florida study.
To focus on these new technologies, the National Hydropower established the Marine Energy Council. The council collaborates with NHA’s standing committees to focus attention on the potential growth opportunities of emerging technologies, share information among industry members, and provide a forum in which to discuss the various challenges ocean, tidal, hydrokinetic and emerging water technologies face.
The council focuses on:
The unceasing movement of ocean waves creates a continually available and predicable power source that has an estimated technical potential in the U.S. of 90GW. Among other benefits, oceans are close to major population centers that need electricity most, while the potential wave power installations have a low visual impact and no fuel costs.
With a range of innovated technologies under development, wave power energy conversion devices can capture energy located on the ocean shoreline, near the shore or floating offshore. Technologies in development include:
With more than 300 member organizations, the National Hydropower Association represents many of the most important stakeholders in the waterpower industry today. NHA members range from large power generators — the companies that produce hydroelectricity — to service and equipment providers that provide the goods and services used throughout the entire industry supply chain.
The Rancho Penasquitos Pressure Control/Hydroelectric Facility (RP PCHF) is located in a neighborhood near Mira Mesa, California.
The Horizontal Francis Turbine Generator allows the RP PCHF to generate 4.5 megawatts of clean, reliable power.
Natel, which enables power generation from low head dams and, existing irrigation canals. “We have chosen to focus on the low head market because there are numerous settings in the U.S. where existing low head infrastructure could be retrofitted to capture energy that is currently wasted,” Natel’s co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer Gia Schneider, said in a hearing before the House Natural Resources committee in July 2010. Beyond being a low-impact technology, Schneider said, “we believe the potential exists to implement projects that both deliver renewable energy and create positive environmental co-benefits.”
The Buckeye project is currently being tested and will be connected to the grid once an agreement is reached with Arizona Public Service.
Read more of Schneider’s testimony here.
Recognizing the benefits this small hydropower facility brings to the surrounding communities and the state of Kansas, Bowersock is in the process of building a major $20 million addition to furnish power to the Kansas City (KS) Board of Public Utilities under a 25-year contract. The expansion will add four larger generating units that will produce an additional 5 MW of power. When fully operational, the project is expected to produce enough electricity to supply 3,300 homes, avoiding 44,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions
The Bowersock Mills & Power Company remains privately-owned by the same family that started the company in 1874. Stephen Hill, who has run the company since 1972 and his daughter, Sarah Hill-Nelson, who joined in 2002, are Kansas business leaders carrying on a long tradition of bringing renewable hydropower to the local community. With a strong commitment to the environment and Kansas economy, Bowersock has been a small hydro success for over a century.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week
NHA Members Win Big with Hydro Incentives, Leverage $629 Million to Pursue Infrastructure Work
Exciting news! The hydropower industry has stepped up to propose over $7 billion in major new investments to refurbish the nation’s existing hydropower fleet because of the new financial incentives from the federal government (via the Infrastructure and Inflation Reduction Act/Bipartisan Infrastructure Law).
Specifically, over $7 billion in private investment has been proposed for more than 650 projects at existing hydro facilities, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO), which is responsible for administering the incentives program. The proposals would leverage $629 million in federal financial incentives available under Sections 243 and 247 of the infrastructure law.
NHA conceived of and successfully secured the section 247 funding, as well as the first-ever funding for section 243, with the help of the Uncommon Dialogue collaboration. Each program provides up to $5 million per project and is capped at 30% cost share per investment.
As a result of this funding, NHA members can expect a healthy pipeline of work (i.e., contracts for service and product suppliers); additionally, asset owners are signaling they’re moving forward with infrastructure-related work.
Diving into the specific programs, Section 243, which received $75 million, addresses efficiency improvements at facilities. This program received 93 applications for a requested funding of $199 million, resulting in a total project cost of $1.18 billion.
Section 247, which covers grid resiliency, dam safety, and environmental enhancements, received $553.6 million in funding. DOE has received 599 letters of intent and a requested funding amount of $823 million, with a total project cost of $6.2 billion. Of the submitted projects, 160 were for grid resiliency, 309 were for dam safety, and 130 were for environmental enhancements.
Dates to Remember:
Aug 8: 1 PM ET: Senior Leader’s Asset Owner Forum Q3 Call. Contact chris@hydro.org if you are interested in participating.
Aug 25, 11 AM ET: Chief Dam Safety Engineers Roundtable Q3 Call Part 2. Contact chris@hydro.org if you are interested in participating.
October 10, 1 PM to 5 PM ET: in Person in Cincinnati! Chief Dam Safety Engineers Roundtable (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners)
October 12, 6 PM to 8:30 PM ET: In Person in Cincinnati! Hydropower Technical Community Networking Dinner
October 13, 8 AM to 12 PM ET: In Person in Cincinnati! O&M Asset Owner Roundtable (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners)
October 13, 8 AM to 12 PM ET: In Person in Cincinnati! Senior Leaders Asset Owner Forum (exclusively for NHA Member Organizations that are Asset Owners)
Monthly “Lunch and Learn” Webinar Series Continues:
The meeting request has been sent, and if it’s not on your calendar, then let Chris Hayes (chris@hydro.org) know.
August 16, 1 PM ET: “Best Cyber Security Practices for Hydro Facilities” presentation by Joe McClelland, Office Director, and Matt Shultz, IT Specialist, Office of Energy Infrastructure Security, FERC.
September 20, 1 PM ET: Adding Batteries to Hydropower Plants: When and Why? Presentation by Hill Balliet, Senior Clean Energy Researcher, Idaho National Laboratory.
Upcoming Training for How to Do Dam Safety Trainings Comprehensive Assessments and Risk Analysis
September 6-8: Hydrologic Hazard Analysis for L2RA, in-person in Washington, D.C., offered by the FERC; for details, email: RIDM@ferc.gov.
Senator Daines championed hydropower during the Senate Energy & Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Water and Power hearing on “the Community and Hydropower Improvement Act,” saying, “Hydropower is critical to helping meet our country’s energy needs. It’s safe, reliable, affordable, and provides good paying jobs. This bipartisan bill MUST be included in any permitting discussion.”
To watch Senator Daines’ remarks, click HERE.
More Senators Request to Sign-Up in Support of the Community and Hydropower Improvement Act: Senator Crapo (R-ID) and Senator Murray (D-WA) have requested to join the hydropower licensing reform bill – S. 1521, the Community and Hydropower Improvement Act – as cosponsors. They will be added during the next Pro Forma session of the Senate. This legislation is broadly bipartisan and has reached 6 total cosponsors so far, including Senator Cantwell (D-WA), Senator Daines (R-MT), Senator Risch (R-ID), and Senator Wyden (D-OR). NHA will continue to gin up support on Capitol Hill over the August recess. Please reach out to your Senators to encourage that they sign on!
ICYMI – July “Featured Presentation” recording can be found HERE
Jonathan Colby’s Slide Deck can be found HERE
September 5, 3 PM ET: Monthly MEC Member Meeting
October 25-26: NHA will be exhibiting at Ocean Energy Europe’s 2023 Conference in The Hague, Netherlands. As part of NHA’s exhibition space, any employee of an NHA member organization will receive a 25% discount on registration. Registration code is MECMEMBERSUS2023. Register HERE.
FERC recently issued Order 2023, which reforms the Generator Interconnection process. Compliance filings are due 90 days after posting in the Federal Register. There are over 2,000 GWs stuck in the interconnection queues in the United States. These reforms could help to unclog the queues.
August 7, 1 PM ET: Join us for the next Markets Committee. Please reach out to Michael Purdie at Michael@hydro.org for further information.
August 3, 12 PM ET – Monthly Member Meeting on Financing/Green Banks
Begin to plan your public outreach on August 24 — National Hydropower Day!
Let the world know that “Hydro is Key”!
You’ll find lots of good ideas on how to amplify your #HydroDay messages, graphics for social media, email templates, and more HERE.
Once decided, tell us what you have planned! Send your plans to: kelly@hydro.org
3U Technologies provides marine infrastructure consulting including engineering design and analysis, international business consulting, and project management services to commercial and government clients. 3U provides mechanical, electrical, and controls system engineering for marine systems. 3U manages the installation and long-term operation of submarine power and fiber optic cable networks and systems, including horizontal boring and burial of submarine cable shore approaches.
The Electric Department has served the Sturgis area since its inception in 1896. Today, the department serves over 7,200 customers within the City of Sturgis and other parts of St. Joseph County. The majority of the City’s electric service is purchased power, supplemented by the City’s hydroelectric dam and in emergency situations, City-operated diesel generators.
Dennis Schwartz joins Schnabel as Senior Associate and Senior Vice President.
Jada Rasmussen joins Kleinschmidt as a Scientist Technician.
Have Movers & Shakers tips? Email Us: jeremy@hydro.org
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The hydro industry is excited to be headed to Cincinnati! Learn more about the home of 2023 Clean Currents HERE.
Clean Currents week-long schedule at a glance is released; make hotel reservations now!
Exhibit Space is nearly full – check out CC Central. Thanks to the 88 member organizations who are exhibiting.
| State | Conventional Hydro MWh | Total MWh | Total Renewables MWh | Hydro as a % of total | Hydro as a % of renewable | Powered & Non-powered Dams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 409,041 | 35,443,880 | 1,079,040 | 1.15% | 37.91% | 726 |
| Maine | 4,044,597 | 14,078,880 | 8,553,600 | 28.73% | 47.29% | 647 |
| Massachusetts | 1,145,372 | 33,773,340 | 3,144,370 | 3.39% | 36.43% | 1,602 |
| New Hampshire | 1,453,050 | 19,783,730 | 3,114,050 | 7.34% | 46.66% | 653 |
| New Jersey | 0 | 64,847,850 | 1,549,000 | 0% | 0% | 504 |
| New York | 25,148,473 | 135,337,400 | 31,006,470 | 18.58% | 81.11% | 1,982 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,622,107 | 227,682,900 | 8,336,110 | 1.15% | 31.45% | 1,546 |
| Rhode Island | 0 | 6,294,929 | 100,000 | 0% | 0% | 215 |
| Vermont | 1,357,030 | 6,921,298 | 2,066,030 | 19.61% | 65.68% | 367 |
Sources: USACE NID, EIA
Other parts of the hydropower supply chain are also a source of economic vitality in the region. Harking back to New England’s industrial roots, Fitchburg, Massachusetts –based Steel-Fab builds water control gates – devices that can maintain water flow and levels for hydroelectric plants and flood control dams. The company builds gates that suit varying dam designs, as well as custom gates.
An American-owned manufacturing company, Steel-Fab is helping to grow the hydropower industry here at home.
Objectives of the webinar include:
| State | Conventional Hydro MWh | Total MWh | Total Renewables MWh | Hydro as a % of total | Hydro as a % of renewable | Powered & Non-powered Dams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1,426,193 | 6,203,230 | 1,569,190 | 23% | 90.89% | 96 |
| Arizona | 5,950,654 | 110,126,600 | 8,597,650 | 5.40% | 69.21% | 346 |
| California | 24,541,380 | 199,997,700 | 61,105,380 | 12.27% | 40.16% | 1,468 |
| Colorado | 1,258,341 | 53,396,300 | 8,901,340 | 2.36% | 14.14% | 1,795 |
| Hawaii | 90,780 | 9,813,795 | 1,039,815 | 0.93% | 7.55% | 138 |
| Idaho | 9,100,528 | 15,741,960 | 12,274,530 | 57.81% | 74.14% | 428 |
| Montana | 9,953,300 | 27,573,220 | 11,614,300 | 36.10% | 85.70% | 2,916 |
| Nevada | 2,681,573 | 36,494,480 | 6,493,570 | 7.35% | 41.30% | 512 |
| New Mexico | 185,477 | 36,042,320 | 2,802,480 | 0.51% | 6.62% | 519 |
| Oregon | 33,457,372 | 60,164,740 | 41,984,370 | 55.61% | 79.69% | 935 |
| Utah | 633,830 | 42,822,570 | 1,576,830 | 1.48% | 40.2% | 795 |
| Washington | 77,906,959 | 113,321,300 | 86,657,960 | 68.75% | 89.90% | 746 |
| Wyoming | 716,600 | 52,395,110 | 5,131,600 | 1.37% | 13.96% | 1,416 |
Sources: USACE NID, EIA
This modernization project will increase the facility’s power generation capacity by more than 40 MW and boost turbine efficiency to 95% or better. Alstom’s new ultra-efficient Francis runners (the central, rotating parts of hydroelectric turbines) are not only bringing the facility up to date, but when completed, will also deliver clean electricity to an additional 30,000 homes in the Northwestern U.S.
Already underway, the $120 million project will provide an economic boost to the region through 2017. Installing the new Alstom equipment will also protect wildlife such as salmon and steelhead. The project is an example of the incredible opportunities to grow renewable energy generation sustainably at the country’s existing dams.
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
Congrats to Daniel L. from GE Renewable Energy for getting the last edition’s trivia question correct!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
How many megawatts of hydropower capacity do the 6 Host Utilities of Clean Currents 2022 own?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: The most common bird of prey seeb at dams is Eagles.
Camas LLC. provides environmental consulting services to governments, businesses, and land owners seeking assistance with projects that impact land and water. We assist with project components such as regulatory permitting, scientific analysis, land conservation, and compliance program development, as well as meeting facilitation related to any aspect of these processes.
Learn more here
Champion Technologies is a manufacturer of friction components for industrial applications. CNC and machine center capabilities. Build Generator Brake Blocks to your specifications.
Learn more here
NHA’s membership is made up of more than 300 companies and organizations. Bookmark the online member directory for easy reference.
Create a Clean Currents Learning Path Tailored to Your Needs!
The Clean Currents detailed schedule is searchable by topic, session type, or job function. The event has something for everyone as it is truly by the industry, for the industry.
Hotel Rooms for Clean Currents Still Available but Selling Out – Book Today!
NHA has negotiated a room block at a handful of nearby hotels. Some have already sold out but there is still space for you! If you have not yet done so, please book your hotel room today!
December 5-6, 2022: Southeast Regional Meeting
Buckle up! The National Hydropower Association is heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the 2022 Southeast Regional Meeting. Join us on December 5-6 for 2 days of networking, discussion, and insights. Host Utility Tennessee Valley Authority will be welcoming us with a tour of one of their local facilities. Learn more here.| State | Conventional Hydro MWh | Total MWh | Total Renewables MWh | Hydro as a % of total | Hydro as a % of renewable | Powered & Non-powered Dams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 140,767 | 202,890,600 | 10,439,770 | 0.07% | 1.35% | 1,504 |
| Indiana | 417,297 | 110,377,600 | 4,227,300 | 0.38% | 9.87% | 1,142 |
| Iowa | 667,062 | 56,875,540 | 16,398,060 | 1.17% | 4.07% | 3,374 |
| Kansas | – | 48,645,150 | 9,486,000 | 0% | 0% | 6,087 |
| Michigan | 1,306,871 | 104,969,800 | 6,106,870 | 1% | 17% | 927 |
| Minnesota | 384,241 | 51,262,700 | 10,313,240 | 0.75% | 3.73% | 1,021 |
| Missouri | 1,213,462 | 92,211,140 | 2,452,460 | 1.32% | 49.48% | 5,099 |
| Nebraska | 1,089,026 | 37,196,620 | 2,949,030 | 2.93% | 36.93% | 2,358 |
| North Dakota | 1,852,421 | 35,361,140 | 7,387,420 | 5.24% | 25.08% | 866 |
| Ohio | 520,970 | 136,702,100 | 2,409,370 | 0.38% | 21.60% | 1,577 |
| South Dakota | 4,076,759 | 10,357,950 | 6,764,760 | 39.36% | 60.26% | 2,516 |
| Wisconsin | 1,264,628 | 65,586,620 | 4,494,630 | 1.93% | 28.14% | 1,163 |
Sources: USACE NID, EIA
Of the 28,000 existing dams in the Midwest, those that generate electricity supplied thousands of megawatt hours (MWh) of power to the region in 2013. South Dakota enjoys the highest percentage of hydro in its generation mix, and at more than 4 million MWh, the state produced nearly 40 of its electricity from hydro facilities in 2013.
Moderators:
Panel 1:
Panel 2: Projects Hitting the Water: U.S. & Canada Projects:
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NHA’s Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award application deadline has been extended to June 24!
NHA’s OSAW Award is an industry honor and holds many benefits for your organization. Learn more about how to apply and how your organization will benefit HERE.
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
In what year did Canada propose the concept of a “World Ocean Day” at the Earth Summit in Rio?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: The six recipients of last year’s Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Award were: Turlock Irrigation District, Verdant Power, Idaho Power Company, Yuba Water Agency, Whooshh Innovations, & Duke Energy. You can learn more about the award recipients here.
Time to register for Clean Currents! Reduced rates for YOU!!
July 15 is the ‘early bird’ registration deadline. Register before that date to save!
| State | Conventional Hydro MWh | Total MWh | Total Renewables MWh | Hydro as a % of total | Hydro as a % of renewable | Powered & Non-powered Dams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12,646,761 | 150,408,400 | 15,895,760 | 8.41% | 79.56% | 2,228 |
| Arkansas | 2,708,798 | 60,493,940 | 4,362,800 | 4.48% | 62.09% | 1,229 |
| Delaware | – | 7,615,925 | 122,000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 86 |
| District of Columbia | – | 60,215 | – | 0.0% | – | 0 |
| Florida | 197,626 | 219,724,500 | 4,815,630 | 0.09% | 4.10% | 892 |
| Georgia | 3,418,902 | 120,976,100 | 7,027,900 | 2.83% | 48.65% | 4,606 |
| Kentucky | 3,365,668 | 89,934,690 | 3,692,.67 | 3.74% | 91.14% | 1,050 |
| Louisiana | 1,044,561 | 101,378,800 | 3,566,560 | 1.03% | 29.29% | 557 |
| Maryland | 1,531,447 | 35,487,420 | 2,465,450 | 4.32% | 62.12% | 340 |
| Mississippi | – | 52,890,100 | 1,509,190 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 3,533 |
| North Carolina | 6,433,282 | 124,921,700 | 9,380,280 | 5.15% | 68.58% | 3,382 |
| Oklahoma | 2,126,311 | 73,576,310 | 13,346,310 | 2.89% | 15.93% | 4,755 |
| South Carolina | 2,799,604 | 94,919,260 | 4,759,600 | 2.95% | 58.82% | 2,421 |
| Tennessee | 11,737,163 | 78,669,450 | 12,819,160 | 14.92% | 91.56% | 1,215 |
| Texas | 1,185,525 | 433,525,500 | 38,969,530 | 0.27% | 3.04% | 7,170 |
| Virginia | 1,424,788 | 77,184,920 | 4,269,790 | 1.85% | 33.37% | 1,642 |
| West Virginia | 1,717,117 | 75,927,320 | 3,119,120 | 2.26% | 55.05% | 562 |
Sources: USACE NID, EIA
Driven in part by the availability of clean, low-cost hydroelectric power, Alabama ranks 5th among states for renewable electricity generation overall, and with numerous projects along the Alabama and Coosa Rivers, is one of the largest hydroelectric producing states east of the Rocky Mountains. The largest electricity producer in the U.S., Southern Company, operates 34 hydropower facilities in Alabama and Georgia totaling 2,730MW. Generating up to 5 percent of the company’s electricity output, hydropower helps keeps the lights on for Southern’s more than 4 million customers in the Southeast.
Hydropower is the nation’s first renewable resource, providing clean, carbon-free energy to roughly 30 million American homes. Yes, it’s essential to our clean energy future, but there’s so much more below the surface. Many don’t realize that hydropower also enriches our communities by protecting our ecosystems and creating community gathering places.
Check out how to vote HERE.
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Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What year was Earth Day first celebrated?
Bonus: How will you be celebrating the day? (Hint: posting on social media about how waterpower is integral to a clean energy future is a very easy way to engage on Earth Day! – April 22nd)
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, gave a keynote address during Waterpower Week about the need for pumped storage development in a clean energy transition.
See what he had to say during a quick Instagram interview.
Preformed Windings Ltd are a high-quality manufacturer of HV diamond coils based in England. As an independent manufacturer, Preformed Windings are uniquely positioned to partner with OEM’s and service companies to offer world class product and technical support. Preformed Windings diamond coils have been used in thousands of HV motor and hydro generator rewinds all over North America as well as globally and we are trusted partners to repair companies and end users alike.
As specialists in coil manufacturing for over 50 years we work with our customers and end users to optimize coil design and in many cases, coils can be manufactured to not only replace existing coils but upgrade them. This can result in greater efficiency and significant increases in output which is proving very popular as the demand for renewable energy increases and a large proportion of the installed base approaches the age of major service requirements. Our range of HV coils includes coils with the lowest partial discharge available which are designed to work for decades. Additionally, ‘QualCoil H’, the first resin rich coil specification suitable for class H applications which has passed rigorous testing such as Voltage Endurance (VE) and Thermal Cycle (TC) testing, with the coils successfully passing 2,000 hours on VE test.
GE Renewables say:
“Preformed Windings have supplied many sets of high voltage coils to GE Renewables over the years. The quality of product and service is exceptional, and they are a trusted partner in our supply chain. We enjoy collaborative and cutting-edge research and development with Preformed Windings, which positions both organizations as thought leaders in the hydro industry. Their products offer significant benefits such as very low partial discharge and a long service life”
Verterra Energy is on a mission to harness the power of flowing water in rivers, oceans and canals to produce abundant clean, reliable power for all the world’s people. Volturnus is a simple and elegant device that, when submerged in moving water, generates zero emission, baseload electricity. They create scalable power from 50 kW to multi- MW arrays; ultimately capable of achieving gigawatts of decentralized power globally. Our diverse team brings experience from leading industrial and Fortune 500 companies like Boeing, GE and Tesla.
Based in St. Paul, MN Verterra is funded by mission driven investors and is currently collaborating with the US Army Corps of Engineers on an advanced microgrid project.
The Village of Stowe was founded in 1763 and as the village grew it absorbed surrounding settlements. In 1911, the Village of Stowe Electric Light and Power System was formed, and over time grew into the Town of Stowe Electric Department. The Electric Department currently serves over 5,000 year-around customers and the Stowe’s seasonal daily population can swell to over 9,000 people. This makes system planning and electric service reliability vital for the local economy and Vermont’s regional economy.
Stowe Electric is committed to innovation while maintaining a least cost and reliable service for our customers. We operate and maintain a utility scale solar array, multiple electric vehicle charging stations, and offer incentives for electrification technologies. We are committed to bringing additional renewable local generation assets online, which is why we are excited to join the National Hydropower Association.
Log into the portal by clicking on the NHA PORTAL button (top right of www.hydro.org). Use your email address as your user name.
Working in the Midwest?
Register for the 2022 Midwest Regional Meeting co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG) in St. Louis, MO on May 10-11. This exciting event includes a tour of Ameren’s Taum Sauk and an Asset Owner Only meeting facilitated by MHUG Register here
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Learn more about NHA’s POWERHOUSE Media Platform here
New NHA Member Organization Verterra Energy is hiring!
You can buy job postings to be placed on the new NHA Career Center. NHA member organizations get a discount on job posting purchasing.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week
NHA, working on behalf of its members to advocate for hydropower in all its forms, met this week with senior officials at the White House and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to urge that hydropower relicensing and relicensing in included in any energy permitting reform package enacted this year.
NHA’s CEO Malcolm Woolf and member organizations New York Power Authority (represented by COO Joseph Kessler) and Troutman Pepper (represented by Partner Charles Sensiba) met with John Podesta, Senior Advisor to President Biden for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation.
CEO Woolf, Michael Purdie, NHA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs and Markets, and Charles Sensiba also met with the new chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Willie Phillips.
NHA emphasized that hydropower and pumped storage are the only flexible, zero-carbon resources, and are especially critical as we transition to a grid increasingly powered by variable wind and solar. As such, we urged that meaningful hydropower licensing reform be included in any energy permitting reform package enacted by Congress this year.
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
We are 33 days from Waterpower Week in Washington! Our question this week is: How many Professional Development Hours are attendees eligible for this year at Waterpower Week in Washington?The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Last Edition’s Question: Monday was the Spring Equinox, which means we had an equal amount of day and night time. Pumped Storage is one of our resources that keeps clean energy flowing to keep the lights on at night. According to the 2021 edition of the Hydropwer Market Report, what percentage of all utility-scale energy storage does Pumped Storage account for in the United States? Last Edition’s Answer: According to the 2021 edition of the Hydropower Market Report, PSH currently accounts for 93% of all utility-scale energy storage in the United States..png?cb=882021)
Call to Action: Need NHA member organizations to meet with their Senators and Representatives! Make Hydro’s Voice Heard this spring.
Find out how HERE
Reach out to Your University Connections – Encourage Participation in 2024 Collegiate Competitions – Deadline to Sign Up is April 24 April 24: Deadline to apply to participate; all selected teams will be invited to compete in the rest of the competition. Funding Schedule: Institutions will be selected to compete. Selected teams’ lead institutions will be eligible to receive $5,000 each. Hydropower Collegiate Competition Marine Energy Collegiate Competition| NHA’s Marine Energy Intern Ryan Proulx Ryan Proulx is a sophomore at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he’s studying engineering and environmental science as it relates to energy systems decision-making. He’s excited to learn more about the state of the marine energy sector and deep-water marine hydrokinetic devices. |  |
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Mark Your Calendars! NHA is coming to a region near you in 2023!
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| Waterpower Week – So Many Opportunities! | |
| April 15 Deadline: Volunteer to Speak Take advantage of Member Discounts for companies exhibiting or sponsoring at October’s Clean Currents – see who has already committed! |
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| Stay connected by reading POWERHOUSE. You get an email every Monday from powerhouse@hydro.org. Don’t see it in your inbox? Add us to your safe senders list to get us out of spam/quarantine! |  (002).png?cb=124839){kind=logo} |
| View current and ongoing innovative research within the WaterPower Research Portal. |
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Congratulations to Heidi Wahto, Stantec and Jay Anders, Rye Development for answering last edition’s trivia question correctly!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Who will be providing a special keynote address on the topic of pumped storage hydropower at Waterpower Week on Wednesday, April 6?
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Edith Clarke was the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the U.S.
The Conservation Fund is the nation’s only environmental organization chartered for both conservation and economic development. Our dual-purpose mission makes us uniquely able to work with infrastructure developers, regulators, and our public agency partners to bring environmental protection and economic vitality together.
Since our founding in 1985, we’ve protected over 8.5 million acres of land, including habitat for wildlife, cultural/historic sites, as well as recreational access for people who enjoy the outdoors. Our compensatory mitigation and voluntary stewardship solutions help our country significantly improve its critical infrastructure while at the same time achieving meaningful and lasting conservation results on the ground.
We achieve results for our partners because we have trusted relationships with the state and federal regulators. Our relationships allow us to easily identify the priority conservation projects that could offset and simplify compliance requirements and build positive relationships with the regulatory and local communities.
Learn more: www.conservationfund.org
Waterpower’s 3-Day National Policy Conference
If you work in the midwestern region of the U.S., mark your calendar for the May 10-11 in-person Midwest Regional Meeting in St. Louis, jointly offered by NHA and the Midwest Hydro Users Group (HUG). Registration is open; member discount available
The NHA Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship will begin accepting applications January 2, 2020. Postmark deadline to submit applications is February 15, 2020. Scholarship information and the application are posted on the NHA website, www.hydro.org. All application must be sent to Scholarship America at:
The National Hydropower Association Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship Program Scholarship Management Services One Scholarship Way Saint Peter, MN 56082
Applicants must meet one of two criteria to be eligible for the NHA Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship: (1) current college sophomores or juniors who will be college juniors or seniors beginning fall 2020, or graduate students with a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) GPA who are enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate course of study at an accredited four-year college or university; (2) Applicants must be students with an equivalent GPA at an accredited vocational technical school or program. All applicants must be U.S. Citizens or legal residents.
For more information, please contact Kimberly Costner at Kimberly@hydro.org.
The NHA Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship will began accepting applications January 2, 2020. Postmark deadline to submit applications is February 15, 2020. Scholarship information and the application are posted on the NHA website, www.hydro.org. All application must be sent to Scholarship America at:
The National Hydropower Association
Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship Program
Scholarship Management Services
One Scholarship Way
Saint Peter, MN 56082
Applicants must meet one of two criteria to be eligible for the NHA Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship: (1) current college sophomores or juniors who will be college juniors or seniors beginning fall 2020, or graduate students with a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent) GPA who are enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate course of study at an accredited four-year college or university; (2) Applicants must be students with an equivalent GPA at an accredited vocational technical school or program. All applicants must be U.S. Citizens or legal residents.
For more information, please contact Kimberly Costner at Kimberly@hydro.org.
Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
We had two players get the right answer to the last edition’s question! Thank you for playing and congratulations to John Stender, of National Electric Coil and Denise Bunte-Bisnett of Stantec!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What is the widest dam on the Wisconsin River?
Hint: The answer is in this newsletter.
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Last Edition’s Answer: The project currently in the Bay of Fundy has the potential to power 150 homes
Gatto Construction Services offers hydroelectric project consulting services to all entities in the development and construction phases of potential work. Either as a sole entity or with others, Gatto can provide services such as project feasibility analysis, estimating, scheduling, agreement and procurement risk analysis, and project operational planning. During actual project execution Gatto can assist with your construction operations. Gatto also offers services to resolve or assist in the presentation of construction dispute presentations and investigation of accidents if necessary.
Learn more here
The non-profit Tide Mill Institute (TMI) aims to advance the appreciation of tide mill history and technology by encouraging research, by promoting appropriate re-uses of former tide mill sites, and by fostering communication among tide mill enthusiasts. TMI’s mission is to advance appreciation of the American and international heritage of tide mill technology; to encourage research into the location and history of tide mill sites; to serve as a repository for tide mill data for students, scholars, engineers and the general public and to support and expand the community of these tide mill stakeholders; and to promote appropriate re-uses of old tide-mill sites and the development of the use of tides as an energy source.
Learn more here
April 25-26: 2023 Midwest Regional Meeting, co-hosted with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG), is in Middleton, Wisconsin (near Madison).
Host utility Alliant Energy is offering a tour of its Prairie du Sac project. The Prairie du Sac Dam is the widest dam on the Wisconsin River and has a generation capacity of about 31 MW. Learn more about Prairie du Sac Dam. Register for the meeting now to secure your spot on the tour (only 80 spots available).
Thanks to 19 NHA member organizations who are sponsoring the event.
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#2: In addition to joining Renewables Forward, NHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, providing a framework for gender equality in the energy sector.
#3: And, NHA is committed to amplifying talent from diverse communities, ensuring that our industry conference speakers and session panelists are increasingly women and people of color, as well as those with diverse perspectives.
For more information on how NHA is advancing DEI across the waterpower industry, please reach out to Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org.
Is your alma mater on the list below?
If so, let us know by emailing marla@hydro.org or texting 816-588-4639.
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Chalmers & Kubeck is a leader in manufacturing, maintenance, and repair with a hard-earned reputation for quality, services, and complete customer satisfaction. Our state-of-the-art, three-acre facility is an authorized repairs center with ISO 9001:2015 registration for complete quality assurance.
Our Hydro Division now allows us to fully enter an industry that we have serviced for many years. Our newly acquired team brings extensive experience in both field disassembly and reassembly, unit maintenance, shop repair, full Kaplan and Francis rehabilitation, gearbox refurbishment, technical direction, project management, and craft labor support. Combined with Chalmers & Kubeck’s extensive machining capabilities, makes our Hydro Division a one-stop-shop for customers, unlike any competitor in the industry.
Learn more here |
| Just Released! Call for Speakers for Clean Currents 2023 | |
| Just Released! Full Program Schedule | |
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Yesterday, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee convened it’s first hearing of the year to examine opportunities and challenges for maintaining existing hydropower capacity, expanding hydropower at non-powered dams, and increasing pumped storage hydropower (click here to watch the hearing). NHA’s CEO & President Malcolm Woolf testified before committee to emphasized that hydropower is an essential part of a reliable and zero-carbon grid, and highlighted the need for federal tax incentives to preserve the existing fleet, identify ways to modernize the licensing process, and encourage development on existing non-powered dams through a two year licensing process (click here to read Malcolm’s written testimony).
The support for hydropower reached across the political aisle:
Notably, Malcolm testified that while he appreciated the provisions in the infrastructure legislation that would help the clean energy sector, the bipartisan bill was “just a down payment” and the Senate must swiftly pass Build Back Better.
As you may recall, NHA was successful in securing historic funding for the industry in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. However, the 30% tax incentive for critical environmental enhancement would be transformative for the hydropower industry. Woolf also expressed the indeed to continuing working with the Senate to further clarify this tax provision to include dam safety, grid resilience, and dam removal.
FERC Chairman Glick Confirmed to Speak at Waterpower Week!
NHA is happy to announce that Chairman Glick will be a Keynote Speaker at Waterpower Week in Washington 2022. Chairman Richard Glick was named by President Biden to be Chairman of the Federal Regulatory Commission on January 21, 2021.
Waterpower Week in Washington will take place April 5-7, 2022 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Registration opens on Friday, January 14th. Learn more about WPW HERE
Operational Excellence (OpEx) Program
NHA is now proactively reaching out to member companies to provide the opportunity for reserving exhibit space before opening sales industry wide. Outreach to members is in priority order based on financial support of NHA and its activities.
This event — hosted by Georgia Power (a Southern Company utility) and driven by the industry, for the industry — is an important opportunity for those who offer hydro-related services and products to meet with decision makers, show support of current customers, reach new audiences, showcase your products and/or services, market your organization, recruit talent, gain new insights, and make lasting connections.
All proceeds from Clean Currents will go directly toward funding the activities and work of NHA.
“By participating in Clean Currents, we can unite with one another to amplify our clean hydropower voice. This exciting new conference allows us to champion the broader work of the industry and further support the NHA,” said Jay Anders, P.E., NHA Board Chairman and Associate Vice President, Hydropower & Hydraulic Structures for Black & Veatch.
For questions about exhibiting, please contact Francesca Blanco at: francesca@hydro.org; 202-750-8400.
Governor Janet Mills announced last week that Hydro-Québec had signed a formal binding commitment to sell electricity directly into Maine at a discounted price via the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC). The commitment will result in enough clean energy to power approximately 70,000 homes or 10,000 businesses in Maine. Additionally, as part of the commitment, Hydro-Québec will accelerate $170 million in benefits negotiated last year, including rate relief for Maine consumers and incentives for broadband, electric vehicle charging stations, and heat pumps.
Other benefits negotiated in the 2019 Stipulation approved by the Public Utilities Commission include scholarships for Maine youth, host community funds, electric grid stability and improvement, and a preference for Maine workers, among other benefits.
Under the commitment, Hydro-Québec will sell 500,000 megawatt (MWh) hours per year of hydroelectricity to Maine via NECEC, if permitted, at a discount of four dollars per MWh (US$4.00/MWh). To implement the commitment, the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) and Hydro-Québec will finalize either: 1) a 20 year power purchase agreement with one or more Maine Buyer(s) at the discounted price; or 2) if a power purchase agreement is not entered into, Hydro-Québec will pay a total of $40 million in installments over 20 years to an entity designated by the GEO that ensures benefits to Maine retail energy customers.
Power management company Eaton (NYSE:ETN) announced it will join the global movement to limit the increase of the world’s temperature to 1.5°C by committing to science-based targets. These targets include cutting carbon emissions from the company’s operations by at least 50 percent by 2030, positioning Eaton to achieve carbon neutrality at the same time. Eaton will also work with its customers and suppliers to reduce its indirect emissions by 15 percent.
On Sunday, Virginia-based utility Dominion Energy Inc announced plans to sell almost all of its natural gas pipeline and storage assets to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc for $4 billion. At the same time, the Virginia-based utility said that it’s killing the Atlantic Coast gas pipeline despite a Supreme Court ruling that would grant it passage underneath the Appalachian Trail.
— Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Nov. 4, 2009
Seattle City Light is undertaking an upgrade of its 1050 MW Boundary Hydroelectric Project on the Pend Oreille River in Washington State, with the assistance of federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs). The investment will allow the public power utility to increase generation, create new jobs, and improve environmental performance.
With $53 million of low-interest bonds, SCL will complete two generator and turbine refurbishments, as well as replace two generator step-up transformers. The end result is expected to add 40 MW of new capacity to the project, enough to provide about 4,000 homes with access to clean, reliable hydropower. Using CREBs will save the utility $24 million of interest payments over the life of the bond – savings that ensure hydropower remains an affordable electricity resource for SCL’s ratepayers.
The economic benefits of the work are not just being felt in Washington State. In addition to the four temporary employees needed at SCL to complete the upgrades, contracts signed resulted in up to 15 contract employees to provide installation services for the generators and transformers. The turbine runners for the upgrade are American-made, manufactured right in Pennsylvania by Weir American Hydro before being shipped on a three week trek across 13 states to Boundary.
The aquatic life of the Pend Oreille River will also enjoy improved habitat as a result of the upgrade. The new turbines will reduce the total dissolved gas in the tailrace waters of the project, improving water quality for fish that call Pend Oreille home, including ESA-listed Bull Trout.
Seattle City Light is just one of the success stories of the CREBs Program; many public utilities are employing CREBs to bring additional hydropower and other renewable energy technologies online. CREBs allow tax-exempt entities to secure financing for projects by allowing them issuing bonds that are financed through tax credits paid out to the bond holder. Since these entities do not qualify for tax incentives like the production tax credit (PTC), CREBs are vital.
Learn more about CREBs and other policies that are incentivizing expanded hydropower development.
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
We had two players get the right answer to the last edition’s question! Thank you for playing and congratulations to Albin Atzmuller, of Voith and Dan Parker of Alden!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
This Sunday’s Super Bowl has divided the NHA office! The Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. Marla Barnes and Brittney May will be rooting for the Chiefs, and Catherine Ryan is rooting for her hometown Eagles. Let us know who you will be rooting for this Sunday! Which of the competing states has more hydropower? Hint: You can use NHA Hydro Map to find this answerThe first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Last Edition’s Answer: The Prairie du Sac Dam is the widest dam on the Wisconsin River
Douglas PUD has a mission to provide the best possible utility services at the lowest possible cost consistent with sound business principles. As a not-for-profit public utility in Washington State with 200 employees, an 840MW Hydroelectric Project on the Columbia River, and a countywide fiber optic network, we serve our 17,000 customer-owners with some of the lowest rates and fastest internet service available. Our three elected commissioners have the best interest of our customers in mind while making decisions.
Learn more here
Founded in 1979, Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. is a leader in the marine services industry with decades of experience managing complex, critical and technical projects in and around the water. We are headquartered in Seattle, WA with additional main offices in Alaska and California. We bring the expertise and resources necessary to get the job done quickly, reliably, and safely – even in the most challenging environments. We provide a wide variety of underwater maintenance, repair, installation, and inspection services. In addition to complete project management, Global offers engineering support for projects that require technical underwater procedures and tooling. Our understanding and capabilities enable us to adapt quickly and successfully complete the most ambitious assignments while always maintaining the highest level of safety.
Learn more here
Working in the Midwest? If so, plan to be in Middleton, Wisconsin, April 25-26
August 15-16: NHA’s Alaska Regional Meeting
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Upcoming Events In celebration of hydropower's contributions to our nation's grid, NHA will be sharing resources with the industry to help you raise hydro's message during Aug…
Industry Resources This guide outlines how you can share the value of this event with your Board or supervisor in order to help justify your attendance at Clean Currents 2023!
Policy Priority NHA's Malcolm Woolf will be joined by clean energy and river restoration leaders to discuss hydro's role as the U.S. works towards the energy transition.
Communications & Advocacy Thank you for celebrating #HydroDay on August 24! Social media platforms were abuzz with hydro stories and positive messages about America's first renewable.
America’s first renewable provides clean, carbon-free energy to roughly 30 million homes, and 40 percent of U.S. renewable electricity, all while providing the flexibility needed to integrate increasing amounts of wind and solar onto the grid.
Pumped storage is the nation’s "water battery". Representing 92 percent of energy storage in America, it helps to balance the flow of power across transmission networks by absorbing excess when electricity demand is low and releasing it when it increases.
Marine Energy - America’s next gen renewable - consists of wave, tidal, ocean current, riverine, and ocean thermal energy conversion/salinity gradients technologies, all capable of providing predictable, consistent and affordable clean electricity.
Learn about NHA members ranging from large power generators to service and equipment providers.
Learn More
OpEx program is a event reporting system that receives, distributes, archives, and catalogs best practices and lessons learned.
A weekly (every Monday) e-communication offering industry business and technical insights. For individuals working in or with the waterpower industry
An every-other-week member newsletter, to help you see all the ways you can engage and benefit from member-only services. This newsletter goes to everyone with an account in the NHA Member Portal. Exclusively for employees of NHA member organizations
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week
NHA is pleased to welcome new members to join us every day.
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Learn more about NHA’s POWERHOUSE Media Platform HERE
NHA Member Organizations are eligible for discounts on job postings on the NHA Career Center. Reach out to Catherine Ryan at catherine@hydro.org with any questions.
Chelan County PUD is hiring a Drafting Technician
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is hiring an Environmental Protection Specialist
City of Tacoma is hiring a Science and Research Manager
The University of California San Diego is hiring a Precipitation Scientist
| Resource or Solution | Organization Administrator | What is it? | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Maps | U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | A tool for understanding opportunities and associated pathways of various work functions in water power. | Learn More |
| Hiring for Hydro | Hydropower Foundation | A program that connects students interested in a hydropower career with the hydropower community. | Learn More |
| Hydropower Collegiate Competition | U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with Hydropower Foundation | A national competition for undergraduate and graduate students. | Learn More |
| Julie A. Keil Women in Hydro Scholarship | Hydropower Foundation | An annual $3,000 scholarship for a woman enrolled in an accredited college or univerity and majoring in a discipline relevant to entering the hydropower industry. | Learn More |
| Marine Energy Collegiate Competition | U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) with Hydropower Foundation | A national competition for undergraduate and graduate students. | Learn More |
| Past Chairs’ Legacy Scholarship | National Hydropower Association | An annual $2,500 scholarship awarded to a promising young person who demonstrates the academic skills and commitment to help create the next generation of leaders in the waterpower industry. | Learn More |
| K-12 Programs and Curriculum | National Energy Education Development (NEED) and KidWind via U.S. Department of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | Partnerships and Curricula Development to introduce students and teachers to waterpower through experiential learning. | Learn More |
| STEM/Workforce Portal | U.S. Department of Energy | An Internet portal for teachers and students to use to find STEM training and workforce development opportunities. | Learn More |
| Think Tank | Hydropower Foundation | A three-day competition for teams of post-secondary students from universities and trade schools to solve a hydropower challenge, hosted in a specific region of the United States. | Learn More |
| WC 2 : Waterpower Club – Waterpower Community Partnership | Hydropower Foundation | A program to facilitate partnerships between higher education and the water power community, to help students connect to opportunities in the water power sector. | Learn More |
Mr. Rick Maher, Northeastern California Regional Biologist, California Waterfowl Association: “After many years of a cooperative endeavor from all the partners and PG&E’s tenacious and dedicated commitment to the WHIP, it has made for a successful restoration and enhancement of 500 acres of McArthur Swamp. This project is the epitome of how a diverse team can take a plan on paper and turn it into reality. How gratifying, as a biologist and partner of the working group, that carried this project to fruition and to witness the awesome site of thousands of birds utilizing and benefiting from the newly restored habitat within this part of the Swamp.”
DCIM100GOPRO
Responding to FERC’s Duty of Candor NOPR
Working on behalf of our members, NHA staff filed comments alongside other energy trade associations in response to FERC’s Duty of Candor NOPR on Thursday, November 10th. The existing regulation (18 CFR § 35.41(b)) focuses narrowly on information from market sellers in their interactions with the FERC, RTOs/ISOs, transmission planners, and market monitors. It’s a result of the California energy crisis from the early 21st century. The proposed rule would cover communications with all FERC-jurisdictional entities with an affirmative obligation of the market participant to exercise due diligence. It would create strict liability on parties for even accidental misstatements. The filed comments raised numerous issues with the rule relating to speech covered under the first amendment, due process considerations, and failure of the FERC to indicate a factual basis under the Administrative Procedures Act. Find the comments here.Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
Congratulations to our first three trivia players who all answered correctly! Alin Atzmuller of Voith Group, Robert Underwood of Coloma Capital Partners, and Tommy Bonds of TVAQUESTION OF THE WEEK:
With the new year approaching, comes open seats on NHA’s Board of Directors. Voting is open till December 5th. Who was the NHA Board Chair from 1983 to 1985?The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to the last edition’s question: The first hydropower project to begin operating in Tennessee was the Watauga Dam (now known as TVA’s Wilbur Dam) on Christmas Day 1911.
LAPCO is your single source for engineered heat exchangers for the hydroelectric power market. We are a US small business manufacturer of new construction and custom replacement generator air coolers, oil coolers, and motor coolers. Using state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and certified materials, our designs provide ease of installation and maintenance and provide decades of reliability. Cooler components are removable, replaceable, and cleanable. Materials of construction include 90/10 copper-nickel, copper, brass, stainless steel, carbon steel, and titanium. ASME U stamps are available, as well as TEMA designs and PE stamping. Our decades of engineering experience, precision manufacturing techniques, and rigorous quality control program ensure that your project will be a success. No job is too big or too small, so contact us today to discuss how we can assist you.
Learn more here
KGS Group is an employee-owned, multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm serving clients throughout North America. Dedicated to excellence in engineering and project management, our highly experienced team provides a complete range of engineering services for nearly every market.
Over more than 35 years, we’ve played a significant role in hydropower development across North America and beyond. Our experts have you covered from water to wire with extensive expertise in all facets of new hydro projects and the rehabilitation of aging facilities. We have the expertise to tackle almost any project, and we care enough to do it right.
Learn more here
Check out the “Connect & Learn” section of NHA’s POWERHOUSE media platform. New articles each week!
We’ve hit 150 registered attendees at the 2022 Southeast Regional in Chattanooga, Tennessee on December 5-6! Don’t miss this exclusive chance to network with Jacinda Woodward, Senior Vice President of Power Operations at Tennessee Valley Authority. Register here.
ALERT all Operations and Maintenance Professionals: Experts from Eaton will teach a National Hydropower Association Hydro Academy course on Optimizing Safety & Unit Protection. Learn how to ensure operator safety and unit reliability! Register here for the in-person course in Chattanooga, Tennessee on December 5.
A domestic energy source, hydropower requires only the power of America’s moving waters – rivers, streams and ocean tides – to generate electricity. That means much of the money invested in hydropower stays here in America.
Much of hydropower’s future growth will be focused on facilities and infrastructure already built and in use, which represent opportunities for increasing renewable energy generation without constructing new, large dams.
Because hydropower plants are the only major generators that can dispatch power to the grid immediately when all other energy sources are inaccessible, they provide essential back-up power during major electricity disruptions such as the 2003 blackout. An estimated 50 million people living in states from New York to Michigan were affected by the blackout, but hydropower facilities in New York and elsewhere, like the Niagara and St. Lawrence-FDR plants, operated continuously through the blackout and helped to restore power to millions of Americans. This unique operational ability, known as blackstart, means that hydropower facilities can resume operations in isolation without drawing on an outside power source.
Hydropower generation benefits consumers through lower electricity costs. States that get the majority of their electricity from hydropower like Idaho, Washington, and Oregon on average have energy bills that are lower than the rest of the country. Relying only on the power of moving water, hydro prices don’t depend on unpredictable changes in fuel costs.
Hydropower offers the lowest levelized cost of electricity across all major fossil fuel and renewable energy sources, and costs even less than energy efficiency options, according to a recent study from Navigant Consulting and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Assumes Federal & state incentives. CSP assumes trough technology. Natural gas price of $4.57/MMBTU. Source: Navigant Consulting, Inc. 2010
The levelized costs show above reflects the relatively low cost of hydro in terms of maintenance, operations and fuel costs when compared with other electricity sources and across a full project lifetime. For hydro projects, a longer lifespan (in the Navigant study, assumed at 50 years) means not only are costs spread across a longer timeframe but also takes into account that the power generating equipment used at these facilities can often operate for long periods of time without needing major replacements or repairs. These low balance-of-system costs only make it more critical that we expand the country’s hydropower capacity, but like any other major power generating source, significant up-front costs remain, and the right mix of tax and other policy incentives will foster growth of this reliable, cost-effective and clean resource. In addition, the new technologies that hold tremendous promise – such as marine and hydrokinetics – need continued R&D funding in order to reach their full potential. Learn more about the policies that support hydro development. A look at the installed project costs – as opposed to levelized electricity costs – for various types and sizes of hydro projects reveals a wide range, and a number of technologies need continued or expanded federal incentives, supportive tax and regulatory environments and other support to improve and deploy at the project level.| Hydropower Technology | MW Range | Installed Cost ($/kW) | Discussion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional Hydro (impoundment) | 50 (average) | $1,000-$5,000 | A mature technology, conventional hydro falls at the lower end of the range of installed costs, particularly for upgrade projects at existing sites. New dams and greenfield sites are more expensive. |
| Microhydro | < 0.1 | $4,000-$6,000 | The installed cost for low-impact hydro systems is not expected to decline in the near term. |
| Run of River (diversion. | Approx. 10 | $1,500- $6,000 | Similar to conventional hydro, installed costs for run-of-river can vary widely. |
| Pumped Storage | >500 | $1,010-$4,500 | Traditional pumped storage is a proven technology and costs are not expected to decline going forward. The new underground pumped storage technology has been quoted at $2,000/kW and cost declines can be expected going forward, if the concept proves itself. |
| Marine Technology | Expected Commercial Cost | Discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Wave | Installed Cost (in 2020) is expected to be approximately $2,500/kW | Wave technology is still under development and needs R&D support to realize the promise of ocean power. |
Courtesy: NYPA
Bipartisan Bill for Safety and Environmental Upgrades Re-Introduced
Senators Cantwell and Murkowksi, along with Senators Stabenow and Sullivan, have re-introduced their tax credit for safety and environmental upgrades at existing hydropower facilities. If adopted, the proposal would provide hydropower asset owners with a 30% investment tax credit for safety and environmental upgrades at their facilities. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, asset owners can claim a 30% investment tax credit (“ITC”) for capacity additions at their facilities, but investments that do not increase power generation, like new fish passage, are ineligible for any tax support. The Cantwell/Murkowski tax credit would help level the playing field for hydropower asset owners by providing tax support for the investments they need to make to maintain their facilities. Hopeful News for Building New Hydro at Existing Dams Language to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a nationwide, consistent process for reviewing applications to retrofit non-powered dams with hydropower generation was included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) portion of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House is expected to pass this bill later today and the Senate will vote on it later in the month. Once the legislation is signed into law by President Biden, NHA will continue to coordinate with our legislative champions and the Army Corps to pursue successful implementation of this provision. Update/Status Report on IRA and IIJA Infrastucter and Investment Jobs Act – The Department of Energy (“DOE”) has indicated that draft guidance for the Section 247 program will be available in January. DOE has also indicated that draft guidance for Section 243 will be available in the March timeframe. DOE projects that final guidance and open solicitation will begin in May (Section 247) and June (Section 243), respectively. Inflation Reduction Act – The first set of guidance has been published by the Internal Revenue Service on Prevailing Wages and Apprenticeships. The guidance can be found here. The guidance is effective January 29th. NHA and the associated working group will continue to be active as the Inflation Reduction Act gets implemented. NHA has already responded to five notices from the IRS. The comment letters can be found in the NHA portal. NHA Provides Comments to Shape DOE Program Offering $1 Billion for Clean Energy Last week, NHA submitted comments to the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) on the Energy Improvements in Rural and Remote Areas (ERA) Program Request for Information (RFI). NHA’s comments to the RFI can be found HERE. Thank you to those who submitted comments and feedback to the draft a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to you and your work, NHA was able to submit a comprehensive set of comments that will help shape the ERA program which has $1 billion over the next 5 years to award clean energy demonstration and validation projects.Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Happy Holidays NHA members! Thank you for your work in keeping this time of year warm and bright. This week we have a math problem instead of a traditional trivia question!
If you keep your Christmas tree lit for 35 days, for 5 hours a day, How many kilowatt-hours does it take to power your Christmas tree? Assumptions: You use Mini LED Lights which consume .0045 kWh per hour per strand and have a 7-foot tree. Each strand covers a foot of the tree.The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Last Edition’s Answer: TVA has 35 TVA dam trading cards. Learn More Here.
HYDRO Partners specializes in support services for small hydro asset owners. We understand firsthand the many challenges facing the small hydro owner and provide innovative, cost-effective solutions from decades of successful work experience. Focus areas include O and M, Regulatory and Compliance, Project Management, Scoping Equipment Repair and Refurbishment Services, and partnering with other hydro industry experts to match owner-specific needs.
Learn more here
Polnox Corporation is a technologically advanced company backed by its intellectual property portfolio focused on the development and commercialization of safer lubricants namely, environmentally acceptable lubricants to help the hydropower industry in mitigating water pollution and safeguarding the environment from petroleum lubricants. Petroleum products are hazardous to aquatic life and cleaning up spills is costly. Public awareness of safety and regulatory demand is propelling the lubricant industry to develop novel products based on new technologies.
Polnox’s efforts in the development of hydropower environmentally acceptable lubricants (HEALs) show similar or better performance when compared with petroleum-based lubricants meeting the need of the industry’s operational standards. Among the desired properties the most significant aspect of our hydropower lubricant formulation includes its minimal toxicity and performance, and biodegradability. Uniquely formulated for hydropower turbines with the highest performance requirements backed by Polnox’s latest technology innovations.
Learn more here
Rittmeyer is the world leader in large format transit time flowmeters for penstocks and large water conduits at nearly 3 times our closest competitor. We’re also the leader in gate position transmitters and have a full line of water level transmitters. Rittmeyer makes smart instruments that run our smartApps including Penstock Leak Detection (PLDS), silt monitoring, and over-pump protection (OPPS).
Sigma Incipient LLC was started in 2015 by Jeffrey Reichmuth after working in the hydroelectric industry for 40 years. Jeff started out with Escher Wyss Zurich in the hydro-turbine division and ended up working his entire career on the planning, installation, commissioning and testing of hydro electric turbines and generators, valves, gates, governors, and other equipment required for a successful installation.
Learn More Here
Streamwise Development, LLC provides expertise in the development and execution of risk management, quality control, testing and certification activities to support technology and project development at all Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Learn More Here
HCC engages interdisciplinary teams to attract a new set of skilled and diverse workers to modernize the U.S. hydropower fleet and offer unique solutions to complex hydropower challenges related to hydropower’s ability to enable a 100% clean energy grid.
The competition culminates at NHA’s Waterpower Week in Washington event (May 8th – 10th, 2023).
Learn More about HCC Here
NHA Past Chairs’ Legacy Scholarship
NHA created the Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship in 2008 to encourage students to consider becoming part of the U.S. hydropower industry. Our growing industry has professionals in many different fields, including engineering, IT, biology, environmental sciences, forestry, hydrology, animal sciences, management, financial services, communications, and other areas.
Beginning January 3, 2023, the National Hydropower Association will be accepting applications for the 2023 NHA Past Presidents’ Legacy Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship goes to a promising young person who demonstrates the academic skills and commitment to help create the next generation of leaders in the hydropower industry.
Learn more here about past winners
The U.S. hydropower industry currently employs up to 300,000 workers, from project development to manufacturing to facilities operations and maintenance.
With the right policies in place, hydropower can expand its American workforce. A recent study from Navigant Consulting found that 1.4 million cumulative jobs could be created by hydropower by 2025 when policies such as a renewable electricity standard are deployed.
Learn more about the study from Navigant Consulting
The United States currently has the world’s second largest installed capacity of hydropower at approximately 100GW, a total that includes pumped storage facilities. But huge untapped potential remains for this resource: Navigant estimated that the U.S. could add 60,000 MW of new hydro capacity by 2025, out of a total estimated technical potential of 84GW at inland sites alone.
When developing technologies like wave, ocean current and tidal in-stream energy conversion are taken into account, hydropower’s potential is even larger. Technical capacity from wave power alone is estimated at a massive 90GW, and under a 25pc RES, approximately 14GW of ocean power capacity is realizable from the three technology types together.
To put this in perspective, in 2011, the Energy Information Administration estimates that total electric generating capacity for the country as a whole totaled approximately 1,051GW.
All of this means that by capitalizing on its huge potential for sustainable growth, the hydropower industry can add jobs along the supply chain, from manufacturers to construction workers to plant operations and maintenance.
This pre-commercial demonstration of the proprietary integrated system is designed to optimize the economics of installation and maintenance over the system’s 20-year life, and to prove performance. As a grid-connected array of tidal power turbines, the RITE Project, provides the metrics for system performance and operational costs which are scalable to other sites.
Jonathan Colby, Verdant Power’s Director of Technology Performance, will speak to the deployment on the November 3rd MEC Member Meeting.
NHA hosted a successful Hydraulic Power (HPM) month in October with over 300 registrations over the span of four webinars held each Wednesday of the month. The series, hosted jointly with the Midwest Hydro Users Group (MHUG), was held in lieu of an in-person Hydraulic Power Fall Retreat.
The series included topics such as, Plant and People Safety, Asset Management, Managing Dam Safety is Not a One-Size Fits All! and Overcoming O&M Challenges. Attendees learned of safety measures being taken across the industry, varying asset management techniques that can be used in managing risk of aging assets and reduction in frequency of forced outages, approaches to Risk Informed Decision Making (RIDM) in Dam Safety featuring a presentation from FERC’s Doug Boyer, as well as six time and money saving innovative solutions to O&M challenges.
Find more information on these topics at hydroexcellence.org.
Swimming, boating, fishing, camping, skiing, and hiking are just some of the recreational activities that take place year-round and across the country at sites developed and supported by the hydropower industry. Dam operators work with local communities to allow for recreational access. For example, dam operators can schedule water releases so that whitewater rafters can hone their skills on tailwaters – fast moving water located immediately downstream from the dam. In just one of many examples, utility PacifiCorp operates 15 recreational facilities along the Lewis River below the Merwin Dam in Washington State. Along the river and shores of three reservoirs, the utility offers the public 304 campsites in four campgrounds, 270 picnic sites and nine boat launch locations.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is responsible for overseeing the safety of non-federal dams and performs routine inspections to ensure compliance. Dam safety is also ensured through a partnership of states, federal agencies and other stakeholders known as the National Dam Safety Program. Headed by the Federal Emergency Management System, the program provides training for dam safety staff and inspectors, issues grants to state dam safety programs and conducts safety research.
The National Dam Safety Program: 25 Years of Excellence
The USACE describes the dam system: “The principal objective of the dam and reservoir is to protect downstream communities. It is part of a network of five flood control dams in the Merrimack River Basin. These dams work together to control flood waters during heavy rains and storms until rivers begin to drop and the stored water can be slowly and safely released. Located approximately 8.6 miles above the confluence of the Blackwater and Contoocook Rivers, Blackwater Dam helps protect cities and towns from Concord, Manchester, and Nashua, New Hampshire to Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, Massachusetts. Blackwater Dam was completed in 1941 at a cost of $1.32 million and has already prevented $15.3 million in damages. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 15 billion gallons of water. To date, record high water occurred during the flood of April 1987.The reservoir was filled to 93% capacity with a water level of 564.1 mean sea level (msl). The normal level is 518 msl.”
Hydropower’s proven track record of providing a domestic source of clean, renewable, and reliable electricity for more than 125 years is no accident. It has taken hard work, perseverance, creativity, innovation, and a collaborative spirit. Today, these same values are also driving a new generation of marine energy projects that harness the power of oceans, tides, man-made conduits and other waterways, in addition to rivers.
As an industry, we recognize the organizations that exemplify these values with the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Awards. Annually, we honor deserving organizations in the hydropower industry for projects that exhibit exemplary operational, educational, historical, recreational, or environmental enhancement and stewardship. The OSAW awards are presented at NHA’s 2021 Clean Currents in Atlanta, GA, October 20-22, 2021.
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member‘s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last week’s question: 2,300 TWh/yr
Chris Womack named chairman and CEO of Georgia Power, which is host utility of Clean Currents
Dr. Michael Atkinson for being selected for NC Renewable Ocean Energy Program’s Edge Award
It’s widely known that hydropower is clean and renewable. But it’s value to the grid too often goes unnoticed. Here are a few ways hydropower benefits America’s electrical grid:
Answer to last week’s question:
#5: Grass Carp
#11: Common Carp
#12: Bighead Carp
#20: Silver Carp
|
Support by Party Identification |
|||
| Republicans | Democrats | Independents | |
| Maintain Existing U.S. Hydropower |
89% |
82% |
79% |
| Expand hydropower in the U.S. |
84% |
75% |
72% |
| Providing credits and incentives similar to other renewables |
83% |
76% |
72% |
| Reducing re-licensing and retrofitting times |
77% |
68% |
70% |
| Reinvesting in federal hydropower facilities |
84% |
82% |
74% |
| Investing in hydropower R&D |
81% |
82% |
74% |
As I write this letter, NHA is about to unpack boxes in our new office space, located at 200 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 320 (about a block from our old office). As I look forward to what we can accomplish together in the New Year, it’s going to be hard to top the remarkable year that just concluded.
Let me highlight three accomplishments from 2022 that NHA and the industry should be particularly proud:
The results of the campaign?
Our ad successfully lifted strong positive perceptions of hydropower’s community impact by +6 points — a statistically significant increase and lifted message retention among our full audience of millennials by +8 points (+14 points among those that watched the ad on connected tv).
Malcolm Woolf
President and CEO
National Hydropower Association
mwoolf@hydro.org
301.767.6698
Pam Sullivan is the Chief Operating Officer of American Municipal Power (AMP). Sullivan also serves as president of AMP…
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Christopher Rousseau is the Hydro and Renewable Energy Market Leader at J.F. Brennan Company. Prior to joining J.F.…
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Heidi is an advocate for hydropower with more than 25 years' experience providing legislative, policy, regulatory and environmental services…
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Eric has spent 33 years in the hydro industry, primarily in engineering and most recently in Operations and Maintenance.…
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Sharon White is a Partner at Rock Creek Energy Group, LLP, based in Washington, DC. Sharon represents a broad range…
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Jim Hancock is a Partner at Balch and Bingham. He is serving as the NHA Board General Counsel.Jim Hancock has…
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Malcolm Woolf is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hydropower Association.Woolf comes to NHA after decades…
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Mike Haynes is the Interim General Manager/Chief Executive Officer for Seattle City Light.Mike has overseen City Light’s generation and…
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Join NHA for our Northeast Regional Meeting on March 31-April 1 in Niagra, NY!
Sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please contact Marycella Dumlao at marycella@hydro.org for more information
OUR VISION: Hydropower, in all its forms, is valued as America’s first and most flexible renewable energy resource to achieve a sustainable, clean and secure electric system in North America.
OUR MISSION: Champion waterpower as America’s premier carbon-free renewable energy resource.
You can view the virtual event in the video player above. However, if you’d like to ask the panelists a live question, simply click the button below. It will take you to YouTube, where you can enter your question in the chat feature.
There’s an old saying that elections have consequences. At this virtual event, hydropower industry experts will unpack what the 2020 election results will mean for our legislative, regulatory and wholesale energy markets efforts going forward.
EVENT PANELISTSPanel 1 – Legislation:
Panel 2 – Regulatory:
Panel 3 – Wholesale Energy Markets:
Last week, during the U.S. House of Representatives Energy Subcommittee hearing on, “Modernizing Hydropower: Licensing and Reforms for a Clean Energy Future,” stakeholders in conservation organizations, the hydropower industry and tribal nations, testified on their proposal to improve hydropower licensing, relicensing and license surrender.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle expressed support for hydropower’s clean energy benefits, as well as the license reform proposal submitted to the committee.
After years of engaging in the Uncommon Dialogue, the stakeholders testifying possessed clear vision and understanding of what needs to be accomplished in order to move forward in a way that mutually benefits all parties and continues clean energy generation from hydropower.
Congratulations to Chris Porse, Mavel who answered the last edition’s question correctly!
Time to test your waterpower knowledge! Each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Name two out of the six Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award recipients who were announced at last year’s Clean Currents Conference & Tradeshow.
Hint – You can find information about the OSAW Award HERE
The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced on the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to info@hydro.org.
Answer to last edition’s question: Attendees of NHA’s Midwest Regional Meeting had the opportunity to tour Ameren Missouri’s Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Power Facility. Go to NHA’s Instagram page to see photos from the tour taken by NHA’s own Diane Lear!
GRIID Infrastructure is a vertically integrated Bitcoin mining company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mining Bitcoin sustainably with Carbon-free electricity has always been an integral part of GRIID’s strategy, which is what led the company to establish a behind the meter relationship with the Glen Park Hydroelectric Project in Watertown, New York.
Believing that its success is tied to the continued safe and efficient operation of America’s hydroelectric facilities, GRIID became the first Bitcoin mining company to join the National Hydropower Association. Eric McErlain, GRIID’s Director of External Affairs based in Washington, DC, will serve as the company’s representative to the NHA.
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After a fulfilling career in the hydro industry, Gerry Russell is retiring from his full-time responsibilities at American Hydro. Gerry began his career as a hydraulic engineer with Allis Chalmers in 1980 where he focused on hydraulic design and analysis as well as the development of automated design software. He was deeply involved in the 1980s small hydro boom as a hydraulic engineer and later as a project manager, packaging small hydro generation equipment packages for Voith.
Gerry joined American Hydro when it was still a startup business in 1990. He was responsible for Hydraulic Engineering as well as Sales and Marketing for the next 20 years.
When the business was acquired by the Weir Group in 2010, he was appointed Vice President of Engineering and Field Service. Gerry transitioned to Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2016 shortly before American Hydro was acquired by Wartsila. In 2019 Gerry assumed the additional responsibilities as Corporate President.
He supported many industry conferences and organizations throughout his career including NHA’s two national events – Waterpower Week in Washington and Clean Currents. He was involved in several NHA committees and councils and was also involved with the Hydropower Foundation and ASME Hydropower Technical and PTC-18 Committees.
Gerry plans to maintain his relationship with American Hydro and connection to the industry on a consulting basis indefinitely. His retirement plans include plenty of travel, cycling, skiing, tennis and a little golf.
Gerry’s Sales and Marketing responsibilities have been transitioned to Jason Heilman who was recently appointed Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Jason can be reached at jason.heilman@ahydro.com.
Do you know of NHA member organizations or employees working for those organizations who deserve a public pat on the back? Please share with marla@hydro.org.
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July 15 is the ‘early bird’ registration deadline. Register before that date to save!
As a professional society, the National Hydropower Association is committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas. Consistent with this commitment, it is the policy of the NHA that all participants in NHA activities will enjoy a welcoming environment, free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation. All participants in NHA activities also agree to comply with all rules and conditions of the activities, which are subject to change. This policy applies to all participants in NHA activities, including but not limited to event attendees, students, guests, staff, contractors, exhibitors, and participants in sessions, tours, and other social events of any NHA meeting or other activity.
Conventional Hydropower and Pumped Storage projects generate about about 7% of the electricity used in the United States.
This useful resource provides a state-by-state look at existing conventional hydropower and pumped-storage projects. Also included are the existing dams in each state being used to impound water for recreation, water supply, or irrigation (i.e., “non-powered” dams), but not yet for electric power generation.
The Hydropower Pipeline tab (far right) gives an overview of proposed hydropower projects in each state.
Hydropower has been used in the U.S. since the late 1800’s and the origins of the technology reach back thousands of years. Ancient cultures from the Greeks to Imperial Rome to China used water-powered mills for essential activities like grinding wheat.
The precursor to the modern hydro turbine was developed in the mid-18th century. One hundred years later, inventors were steadily improving the efficiency of these technologies. In 1849, an engineer named James Francis developed the Francis Turbine, the type of turbine that is most widely used today.
1937: The Hoover Dam begins to generate power on the Colorado River.
1941-1945: Bureau of Reclamation dams ramped up power output to support America’s efforts in World War II, producing enough electricity to make 69,000 airplanes and 5,000 ships and tanks during a five-year period.
1980: Conventional hydropower capacity is nearly triple compared with 1920 level.
Today: A vast expansion of hydropower’s potential is possible through new technologies for conventional, pumped storage and marine and hydrokinetic projects, modernizing existing hydropower facilities and adding generation to existing non-powered dams.
Source: DOE
Industry News RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News RTOs must develop market rules that allow hydro to compete fairly and maximize the value of its grid services
Industry News NHA announces joint Statement with river/environmental communities to advance hydropower & healthy rivers.
Industry News Energy Department officials & technology developers discussed the potential market opportunities for marine energy
Upcoming Events On October 20, 2021 in Atlanta, GA, NHA will open the gates to waterpower’s new trade show and conference.
Press Releases The bill makes pumped storage hydropower eligible for the investment tax credit (ITC), along with an extension of the…
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