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Hydropower is getting fresh consideration from the US Department of the Interior. But there are no plans to build new hydroelectric dams to do this. Instead, a recent agency report has concluded that the department could generate up to one million megawatt hours of electricity annually by adding hydropower capacity at 70 of its existing dams and other water control structures.
Building new dams for hydropower is not generally regarded favorably. While they allow electricity to be generated without carbon emissions, there is unacceptable collateral environmental damage to both surrounding upriver areas which are flooded and to the downriver areas where the water flow is suddenly constrained.
But existing dams for flood control are already built and are not going to be removed anytime soon. And there is a hydroelectric potential at these dams which is presently going unused. The department's list includes 70 potential sites which are located throughout the western US.
The power generation would be done by private firms or other non-federal entities under a "Lease of Power Privilege Agreement," which gives a 40 year right for use of the facility to produce electric power. The department also states that this could provide power for 85,000 homes and will help reach the government targets to meet 80% percent of U.S. energy needs with clean sources by 2035.
images: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
via: EERE News
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written by Matt, April 13, 2011
Then if you want to think really big, there is the gulf stream and the "stream" running down the western side of the country. There are approaches to capture this energy also.
And just "pay" the power companies to do it.
- Charge them N cents for every KW-hour of electricity they make using coal, gas, or nuke. Ok, charge higher for coal if you like. Can increase N over time.
- Pay 10*N cents for every new KW-hour of electricity by green (hyrdo, tide, wind, solar, geothermal) they produce, up to the amount that they were charged. Passed that amount they a smaller amount back as a tax refund. This amount would be cap by the funds raised by the program.
- Yes it isn't "fair" to existing green power, but they idea is to get more green power to replace old power plants.
- Funds generated and not used, could be used to fund either energy saving programs
o Insulation programs for old buildings in the country
o Conversion to better lighting options
o etc
Or to as loan money to build new green power.
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written by dialtone, April 20, 2011
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Admittedly it's base load power, but still, I'll bet this isn't a very cost effective idea compared to the construction of new solar power plants. Sounds like the Bureau of Reclamation is up to its old money-moving tricks.
Read Cadillac Desert.