{"id":37482,"date":"2017-06-15T15:39:13","date_gmt":"2017-06-15T19:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/?p=135"},"modified":"2024-02-19T15:27:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T15:27:53","slug":"small-hydropower-big-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/our-take\/small-hydropower-big-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Hydropower, Big Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<p>The future of U.S. hydropower no longer looks like the Hoover Dam \u2013 but more like your bathroom sink.<\/p>\n<p>There are new ways of creating electricity from existing flows of water, be it pipes in municipal systems or an irrigation canal on a ranch.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center; padding-right: 20px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20;\">How We Can Make Power from Pipes<sup><a id=\"cite-1\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5112 clearpath-lightbox-img lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2018\/01\/93e7882fc193e340b637ea82eda33ba5-conduit-hydropower-example-01.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"211\" data-share-key=\"1qav3oruae\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/211;\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>These systems harness the same force of flowing waters that is used by dams and large hydro projects via turbines, such as those designed by Oregon-based Lucid Energy, Washington-based Soar Hydro and Georgia-based Emrgy.<\/p>\n<p>The umbrella term for these projects is \u201cconduit\u201d or \u201cenergy-recovery\u201d hydropower.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that big, conventional hydropower has stalled for the past two decades, leaving a giant hole for small hydro to fill. No large hydropower projects have been built in the United States for decades because the prime dam locations have been developed. In terms of capacity, 76 times more hydropower was built in the 1960s than in the 2000s.<sup><a id=\"cite-2\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<aside class=\"float-left\" style=\"text-align: center; padding-right: 20px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 24px;\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20;\">USA Hydropower Installations by Plant Size<sup><a id=\"cite-3\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-3\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5112 clearpath-lightbox-img lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2018\/01\/3e9901856da84eaef2d9175a492359f4-hydro-installs-plant-size-01.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"340\" data-share-key=\"2fcrg11ca4\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/340;\">\n<\/aside>\n\n<p>Despite the slowdown, the Department of Energy found that the industry could realistically grow by 50% by 2050 with advanced hydropower technologies that don\u2019t rely on new dams.<sup><a id=\"cite-4\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>There is a growing realization broadly in the Trump administration and Congress that we need to do more to tap hydropower (pun intended) due to its huge potential, high reliability and low cost. President Trump has said hydropower is a \u201cgreat, great form of power,\u201d but \u201cwe don\u2019t even talk about it because the permits are virtually impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-bottom:10px;\">That\u2019s about right. But that also may about to change. Here\u2019s why the reason may center less on the bigger projects and more about what many of us can do on our own land.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"width:100%;\">\n<p><strong>The potential<\/strong><br><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is enormous potential in small hydropower projects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The U.S. has 1.2 million miles of water supply mains.<sup><a id=\"cite-5\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-5\">5<\/a><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Within these water pipes alone, there are thousands of hydro generation opportunities. According to an estimate by the Department of Energy, the potential of energy-recovery hydropower projects could be more than all the new conventional hydropower projects built in the USA over the past decade (1.7GW of conventional vs. up to 2GW of energy-recovery hydropower potential).<sup><a id=\"cite-6\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-6\">6<\/a><\/sup>,<sup><a id=\"cite-7\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-7\">7<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tens of thousands of U.S. water and wastewater systems are among the country\u2019s largest energy consumers (\u00bd as much electricity we all use for lighting<sup><a id=\"cite-8\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-8\">8<\/a><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is A LOT), most of which is used to power pumps that move water around.<sup><a id=\"cite-9\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-9\">9<\/a><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> We can turn many of them from being purely power consumers to generators. And fully tapping conduit hydropower potential could translate to more than 10,000 new jobs.<sup><a id=\"cite-10\" class=\"sourceref\" tabindex=\"0\" href=\"#source-10\">10<\/a><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<aside class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center; padding-right: 20px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20;\">Conduit Hydropower Is Environmentally Friendly<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20;\">No Fish in Our Pipes<\/span><\/p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5112 clearpath-lightbox-img lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2018\/01\/994dd668f8b5bfd265bdb83bae2503fd-fish-pipes-01.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"321\" data-share-key=\"1rydsq7pvi\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/321;\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>Environmentally-friendly<\/strong><br>Energy-recovery hydropower is environmentally friendly \u2013 there are no fish in our pipes and the water would be transported anyway. Not only does it create clean electricity, it also makes use of energy that would have been otherwise wasted.<\/p>\n<p>These are the prime reasons environmental groups, notably American Rivers, rallied behind streamlining the permitting process behind these types of projects a few years ago. Let that sink in.<\/p>\n<p>Congress overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan hydropower bill in 2013 to speed up the approval of energy-recovery hydro projects. But lawmakers are now looking to go even further.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/115th-congress\/house-bill\/2786?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22HR+2786%22%5D%7D&amp;r=1\">bill<\/a> from Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) would cut the federal review process in half for small energy-recovery projects. FERC Deputy Associate General Counsel John Katz, at a House hearing, actually went a step further, suggesting that the review period should be cut by 75%.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, a regulator proposed a change that would speed up review times. Must be a good idea.<\/p>\n<hr>\n\n<aside class=\"float-left\" style=\"text-align: center; padding-right: 20px; padding-top:20px\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 24px;\"><span class=\"md-bold\" style=\"color: #9d1c20;\">Where is conduit hydropower installed?<\/span><\/p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5112 clearpath-lightbox-img lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2018\/01\/851d73e95ff241626003c694d73e0233-conduit-hydropower-examples-02.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"491\" data-share-key=\"9d9ygkmsh\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 400\/491;\">\n<\/aside>\n\n<p ><strong>Streamlining permits<\/strong><br>When putting a small pump in an irrigation canal to get water to their fields, ranchers don\u2019t need to go to the federal government to get approval. Yet, a conduit hydro device the size of a pool pump must receive permission from the government. We can\u2019t illustrate this enough: this is private land, private electricity use and private man-made systems. And it still needs federal approval despite having virtually zero environmental impact.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the large opportunity, the industry is still at a standstill with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission only approving a few dozen projects per year. At this rate, it would take about 200 years to tap all of our energy-recovery hydropower potential. Municipal water owners and farmers, with no experience in dealing with FERC, are understandably wary of engaging in the process on their own. And hiring a regulatory compliance consultant can increase project costs by 30%.<\/p>\n<p>The 2013 bill trimmed a years-long federal process to just months, yet the obvious question remains \u2013 why should these small conduit projects need federal approval at all?<\/p>\n<p>The hydropower industry is not looking for a government handout, it\u2019s just looking for government to get out of the way.<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"font-size: 20px;\"><strong>View more of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/our-take\/\">Our Take<\/a>&nbsp;and let us&nbsp;know what you think at <a href=\"mailto:jaylistens@saperemarketing.com\">jaylistens@saperemarketing.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"blue\" style=\"margin-top:70px\">\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"1\">\n<li><a id=\"source-1\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/lucidenergy.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lucid Energy<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-1\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/nhaap.ornl.gov\/HMR\/2014\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Hydropower Asset Assessment Program<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-2\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-3\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/nhaap.ornl.gov\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Hydropower Asset Assessment Program<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-3\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-4\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/eere\/water\/new-vision-united-states-hydropower\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US Department of Energy<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-4\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-5\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/voices.nationalgeographic.com\/2014\/08\/12\/13-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-the-u-s-water-system-but-should\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Geographic<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-5\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-6\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=30312\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Energy Information Administration<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-6\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-7\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/sites\/prod\/files\/2015\/06\/f22\/pumped-storage-potential-hydropower-from-conduits-final.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US Department of Energy<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-7\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-8\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/tools\/faqs\/faq.php?id=99&amp;t=3\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Energy Information Administration<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-8\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-9\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fas.org\/sgp\/crs\/misc\/R43200.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Congressional Research Service<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-9\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a id=\"source-10\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eesi.org\/papers\/view\/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Environmental and Energy Study Institute<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"#cite-10\">\u2b0f<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are new ways of creating electricity from even existing flows of water, be it pipes in municipal systems or an irrigation canal on a ranch. These systems harness the same force of flowing waters that is used by dams and large hydro projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":38204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"wds_primary_category":19,"footnotes":"[]"},"categories":[19],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-37482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-take","tag-hydro"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saperemarketing.com\/clearpath\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}