Public Power - November 2008 - (Page 40)

Damless Hydro Power Line up the reels not the trailer Turret Trailers Available in one, two, three, or four reel configurations. These galvanized turret frames lock on 6 degree intervals. Mobile frame units are ideal for use with your existing vehicles! Get more information on these and other useful products such as Pole Trailers, Self-Loading Trailers, Pullers and much more. Call our toll-free number below. droelectric generating capacity by 2016. Spring advises other cities interested in hydro to “take it one step at a time.” “We have to look at renewable energy. We know that this is something that can benefit not just the present generation, but this is for generations to come. I think it’s the future.” Yet LeClaire, Iowa, gave up on hydro after trying since 1979. A federal Fish and Wildlife Service requirement for a 1,400 foot “fish rack” barrier killed the project. The rack bumped costs 57 percent to $110 million. Still, LeClaire City Administrator Edwin Choate advises river cities to proceed if they think they can make hydro work. Dams elsewhere still count. Both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Bonneville Power Administration are upgrading existing projects. TVA expects to add 526 megawatts of new hydroelectric generating capacity by 2016—10 percent of its existing capacity—without adding a dam. California is evaluating five new surface storage projects for water management and 10 North Sauber Road Virgil, IL 60151 ph. 800.323.9147 fax 800.833.3264 hydro generators will likely be part of two of the projects. At one of the projects, new hydro generators will mitigate for a loss of 518 gigawatt-hours of energy per year that would be lost due to inundation of existing upstream power plants “We’re already hurting for power in California,” said Don Rasmussen, a supervising engineer with the California Department of Water Resources. Construction may start by 2012 and be complete by 2019. In Minnesota, Hastings’ 1980s-vintage hydro plant underperformed in high and low water until a 2001 flood. The city redesigned the damaged unit, including putting a trash rack in place to catch trees and other debris booming downstream. The plant has performed better since. “There’s been a big learning curve,” said Mayor Paul Hicks. The Hastings plant now generates $1 million in annual revenue that Hastings sells to regional utility Xcel Energy — enough to pay the 30-year bonds city issued to build and fix it — “but we had a number of years when it didn’t,” Hicks said. “Costs related to licensing can be prohibitive,” said the National Hydropower Association’s Jeff Leahey. Even with existing dams, developers need federal and state approvals. They must work with interest groups, showing that their technology won’t interfere with navigation or harm fish. The same challenges apply to new-technology developers of what the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) calls hydrokinetic technology — dam-free. These pioneers are “way out on the bleeding edge,” said Mike Sale, a Bethesda, Md., energy consultant and Department of Energy veteran. Yet Sale admires them. “They’re trying to develop a new area and having to learn some hard lessons,” he said. In Minnesota, Hydro Green’s hard lesson is patience. The firm received city approval in 2006 but only this year expects to get blades in the water. FERC is key — and may want to lower barriers for new technology. Said FERC Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff: “I don’t see any show-stoppers in the offing.” ❚ Marc Hequet is a writer in St. Paul, Minn. SAUBERMFG.COM 40 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008 PUBLIC POWER http://www.SAUBERMFG.COM http://www.sterlingpadlocks.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November 2008

Public Power - November 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Capturing Knowledge Before It Retires Jackson’s GIS Search Keeping a Job Journal Japan Tackles the Kyoto Protocol Getting to 20 by 10 Damless Hydro Power Earthquake: The Hidden Disaster For Engineers Safety For Governing Boards DEED Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - November 2008

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