Table of ContentsCover StoryIn the Heart of Hydro CountryThe Waterpower XVI Conference and Exhibition, July 27-30 in Spokane, Wash., brings together hydro professionals to explore new opportunities for hydropower fostered by changing economic, political, and environmental concerns.
Featured ArticlesNEW DEVELOPMENT: Strategies for Tapping Hydro's PotentialIn the coming years, the growth potential for hydropower is significant. To realize this potential, careful attention to business and political strategy is needed. ENERGY STORAGE: Opportunities for Pumped Storage: Supporting Renewable Energy GoalsPumped-storage hydro is an ideal option for firming the variability of other renewable power sources, such as wind and solar.
CARBON TRADING: Putting Hydro to Work in Green MarketsParticipation in the Chicago Climate Exchange has earned Chelan County Public Utility District more than $900,000 in financing and helped the utility emphasize that hydropower is an important, emissions-free source of renewable energy.
RELIABILITY REPORTING: Understanding NERC Requirements for Hydro Reliability ReportingUnderstanding why NERC – the North American Electric Reliability Corporation – requires specific reliability data on hydroelectric generating units can help project owners better manage the gathering of this data.
SITE ASSESSMENT: Assessing Ocean Energy ResourcesAssessing potential ocean energy sites can be time-consuming and costly. The abbreviated process used for the city of King Cove, Alaska, allowed investigators to efficiently assess different sites and technologies.
FLOW MANAGEMENT: Studying Ramping Rate RestrictionsTwo natural resource agencies, a university, and a power producer are working to test whether regulation of ramping rates of hydroelectric turbines can provide ecological benefits while, at the same time, minimize production losses.
DepartmentsTech BriefsAccording to a recently published report, Climate Change and Water Resources Management: A Federal Perspective, using adaptive management of water resources can help managers make decisions sequentially over time.
Industry NewsBonneville Power Administration (BPA) proposes its first wholesale power rate increase since 2003, citing increased costs including the expense of salmon mitigation and of operating and maintaining its hydropower system.
Canadian NewsGovernment, utility, and tribal officials launched construction in May of the 1,550-MW, four-powerhouse Romaine hydroelectric complex, on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec.
The Leading EdgeThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the state of Washington are coordinating procedures and schedules for reviewing hydrokinetic energy projects in Washington State waters.
Dam Safety & SecurityThe U.S. Society on Dams (USSD) issued a white paper that emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of instrumentation in monitoring the performance of dams. R&D ForumEPRI announces availability of a report on the results of Ketchikan Public Utilities’ assessment of performance best practices and implementation of performance improvement projects at its four hydro plants in Alaska. TransitionsJ. Mark Robinson retired as director of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
BREAKING NEWS: Hydro CurrentsMore than 100 members of the National Hydropower Association (NHA) packed a House committee room on Capitol Hill, rallying for equal treatment of hydropower as the world’s largest, most reliable renewable energy source.
PERSPECTIVES: Fighting PhantomsThe world is a risky place. And try as we might to take steps to mitigate against plausible risks, so many issues clamor for our attention that it can be hard to know exactly what to prepare for.
STICKY WICKETS: Light It Up! Illuminating Workplaces during OutagesFor years, during major maintenance outages at its 636-MW Smith Mountain pumped-storage project, American Electric Power (AEP) personnel struggled with poor visibility because of inadequate lighting.
ShowcaseAXYS Technologies Inc. announces GHG Sentinel, an instrument for performing time-series measurement of carbon dioxide, methane, and oxygen in freshwater environments.
|
|
