Who says Congress can’t pass energy legislation? Two bills approved with bipartisan support and signed by President Obama this month may open PJM to new generation from a renewable energy source many thought was fully exploited: hydropower.
The legislation streamlines regulations on small hydropower sites, which advocates say could unlock 12 GW of capacity at existing, non-powered, dams — about 1.5 GW of it in PJM.
A 2012 Department of Energy report identified the powering of non-powered dams as low-hanging fruit that could increase current U.S. hydropower capacity — 2,500 dams generating 78 GW — by 15%.
The report identified 80,000 non-powered dams (NPDs) including canal locks and those used to provide water supplies. The top 100 sites could add 8 GW of capacity with the top 10 facilities responsible for 3 GW.
PJM has nearly 150 non-powered dams with potential of at least 1 MW. The top 10 prospects total nearly 500 MW, one-third of PJM’s potential; seven of the top 10 are on the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers in Pennsylvania (see chart below).
“Many of the monetary costs and environmental impacts of dam construction have already been incurred at NPDs, so adding power to the existing dam structure can often be achieved at lower cost, with less risk, and in a shorter timeframe than development requiring new dam construction,” said the report, done for DOE by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The report did not consider the economic feasibility of developing each site, but added, “The abundance, cost, and environmental favorability of NPDs, combined with the reliability and predictability of hydropower, make these dams a highly attractive source for expanding the nation’s renewable energy supply.”
Two bills signed by President Obama Aug. 9 should make it easier to develop the potential of these sites.
The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act (H.R. 267), amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to exempt dams up to 10 MW from the licensing requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (up from 5 MW). It also amends the Federal Power Act to relax regulations on conduit hydropower facilities — manmade water conveyances used for agricultural, municipal, or industrial consumption — of up to 40 MW.
Also under the law, DOE will study ways that existing pumped storage facilities can be upgraded to support intermittent generators and enhance grid reliability.
The second bill, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act (H.R. 678), authorizes the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to develop small hydropower projects at existing canals, pipelines and other manmade waterways.
