An alternative to connecting a large data center load to the electrical grid is a private, fully off-grid energy system, writes Travis Fisher of Cato.

The demand for energy storage capacity is driving a flurry of proposals for new pumped storage hydropower while proposals for new conventional facilities are limited to small-scale projects.

Despite record winter precipitation in California, hydroelectric generation in the Western U.S. fell to a 22-year low in the 2022/23 water year, largely due to drought conditions in Washington and Oregon.

Governors of California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed to a three-year water conservation plan aimed at protecting the drought-stricken Colorado River system.

The West's reliance on imports could prove problematic during summer heat waves or when hydroelectric generation dries up because of drought, WECC said.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed that the nation’s hydropower is undervalued in power markets and under-incentivized in federal policymaking.

Western drought has caused historically low water levels at hydropower facilities, including Lake Mead behind Hoover Dam and PG&E's major reservoirs.