Small Hydro Emerging as Viable Sector for Renewable Energy Development

[Fledermaus]

Small hydro – facilities that generate up to 30 MW – can be developed without harming to the environment. So called run-of-river facilities are designed to take advantage of flowing water in rivers and streams in such a way as to have minimal impact on fish habitats and natural settings. Also, many of the dams in the US are not powered. These facilities, where the environmental impact of the dams cannot be undone, are ripe for small hydro development. In September 2009, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the hydro industry could add 70,000 MW of capacity by installing more efficient turbines at existing dams, increasing the use of pumped-storage projects and encouraging the use of run-of-river turbines. That capacity is equivalent to 70 nuclear plants or 100 coal-fired plants.

http://www.cleantechblog.com/2011/04/small-hydro-emerging-as-viable-sector-for-renewable-energy-development.html

[RC]

1. The sea gulls love hydro power.

It may have a minimum impact on fish habitat, but it hard on the fish as it makes them bite size pieces for the birds.

[madokie]

3. Speaking of sea gulls

When I entered into the navy in September of '67 I had never seen a sea gull. Went to San Diego for basic and 4 months later came home on a two week leave. When I got back here there were sea gulls below all of our dams where four months earlier there where none. during the time I was in boot camp the McClellan/Kerr waterway was finished and they started shipping produce and the birds had followed the barges up the Mississippi, Missouri then the McClellan/Kerr waterways and had settled in at our many dams. Just so's you know :-)

In the summer when its hot'ern hell you can go to our lakes and follow the sea gulls and catch all the white bass you want as the white bass chase the shad and the shad come to the top to try to escape and the sea gulls zero in on them so all you have to do is motor to where this action is and cast a heavy sinking flashing lure and start hauling in some big ass sandies, (what we call them) Pretty good eating if you clean them right too. Nothing around here puts up a fight on the end of a line like the sandies do that you can catch one after the other some days all day long. I'm an old concrete finisher and used to hard ass work and I've caught them until my arms hurt, simply be wore out more than if a couple three of us had placed a hundred yards of concrete by ourselves.

[SoulSearcher]

2. Had not read of Small Hydro until now

Thanks for the link !

[FBaggins]

4. Love the idea... but how much of that 70GW is from "more efficient turbines"?

It would be a major effort to replace turbines at some of the large dams. They aren't exacly hot-swappable.