Hydroelectric power plants in the United States are currently the largest source of renewable energy, but the second largest in nominal capacity (behind wind power in the United States).[1] Hydropower produced 35% of total renewable electricity in the US in 2015 and 6.1% of total electricity in the US.[2].
According to the IEA, the United States was the world's fourth largest producer of hydropower in 2008, after China, Canada and Brazil. The hydroelectricity produced was 282 TWh (2008). It was 8.6% of the world's total hydroelectricity. The installed capacity was 80 GW in 2015. The amount of hydropower generated is strongly affected by changes in precipitation and surface runoff.[3].
Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 states in the United States. The largest concentration of hydroelectric generation in the United States is in the Columbia River Basin, which in 2012 was the source of 44% of the nation's hydroelectricity.[4] Hydroelectric projects, such as the Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, have become iconic large construction projects.
However, it is notable that California does not consider power generated by large hydroelectric facilities (facilities larger than 30 megawatts) to meet its strictest definition of "renewable," due to concerns about the environmental impact of large hydroelectric projects. As such, electricity generated by large hydroelectric facilities does not count toward California's strict Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of California's power generation comes from large hydroelectric generation that is not eligible for RPS.[5].
History
The first hydroelectric power generation in the US was used for lighting and employed the best understood direct current (DC) system to provide electrical flow. However, it did not flow much, with ten miles being the limit of the system; Solving the electricity transmission problems would come later and would be the biggest incentive for new hydropower developments.[6].
The first DC power plant was located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the Wolverine chair factory's water turbine was connected to a dynamo "Dynamo (electric generator)" using a mechanical belt drive to illuminate sixteen lighthouses.[7][8] This occurred in 1880, the same year that Thomas Edison produced the long-lasting incandescent light bulb, which was a safety and convenience improvement over conventional existing candles, whale oil lamps and kerosene lamps inside buildings. In 1881, also using DC for lighting at Niagara Falls, Jacob F. Schoellkopf diverted some output from his water-powered flour mills to power one of Charles Brush's improved generators to provide night lighting for tourists. Previously, the attraction had been lit by burning bright calcium flashes, but arc lights proved to be a better and cheaper alternative. In 1882, the world's first commercial central DC hydroelectric plant provided power for a paper mill in Appleton, Wisconsin;[9] Just a few months later, the first investor-owned electric utility, Edison Illuminating Company, completed the first fossil fuel electric power plant in New York City, to compete with hydroelectric power near a high-demand area. By 1886, between 40 and 50 hydroelectric stations were operating in the United States and Canada, and by 1888, approximately 200 electric companies depended on hydroelectric power for at least some of their generation.[8].
Review of old hydroelectric plants
Introduction
Hydroelectric power plants in the United States are currently the largest source of renewable energy, but the second largest in nominal capacity (behind wind power in the United States).[1] Hydropower produced 35% of total renewable electricity in the US in 2015 and 6.1% of total electricity in the US.[2].
According to the IEA, the United States was the world's fourth largest producer of hydropower in 2008, after China, Canada and Brazil. The hydroelectricity produced was 282 TWh (2008). It was 8.6% of the world's total hydroelectricity. The installed capacity was 80 GW in 2015. The amount of hydropower generated is strongly affected by changes in precipitation and surface runoff.[3].
Hydroelectric stations exist in at least 34 states in the United States. The largest concentration of hydroelectric generation in the United States is in the Columbia River Basin, which in 2012 was the source of 44% of the nation's hydroelectricity.[4] Hydroelectric projects, such as the Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, have become iconic large construction projects.
However, it is notable that California does not consider power generated by large hydroelectric facilities (facilities larger than 30 megawatts) to meet its strictest definition of "renewable," due to concerns about the environmental impact of large hydroelectric projects. As such, electricity generated by large hydroelectric facilities does not count toward California's strict Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of California's power generation comes from large hydroelectric generation that is not eligible for RPS.[5].
History
The first hydroelectric power generation in the US was used for lighting and employed the best understood direct current (DC) system to provide electrical flow. However, it did not flow much, with ten miles being the limit of the system; Solving the electricity transmission problems would come later and would be the biggest incentive for new hydropower developments.[6].
The first DC power plant was located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the Wolverine chair factory's water turbine was connected to a dynamo "Dynamo (electric generator)" using a mechanical belt drive to illuminate sixteen lighthouses.[7][8] This occurred in 1880, the same year that Thomas Edison produced the long-lasting incandescent light bulb, which was a safety and convenience improvement over conventional existing candles, whale oil lamps and kerosene lamps inside buildings. In 1881, also using DC for lighting at Niagara Falls, Jacob F. Schoellkopf diverted some output from his water-powered flour mills to power one of Charles Brush's improved generators to provide night lighting for tourists. Previously, the attraction had been lit by burning bright calcium flashes, but arc lights proved to be a better and cheaper alternative. In 1882, the world's first commercial central DC hydroelectric plant provided power for a paper mill in Appleton, Wisconsin;[9] Just a few months later, the first investor-owned electric utility, Edison Illuminating Company, completed the first fossil fuel electric power plant in New York City, to compete with hydroelectric power near a high-demand area. By 1886, between 40 and 50 hydroelectric stations were operating in the United States and Canada, and by 1888, approximately 200 electric companies depended on hydroelectric power for at least some of their generation.[8].
Recognizing that the great hydroelectric potential of the Falls exceeded local demand for electricity, a large electric company was nevertheless established in the prime location for the development; awaited the prospect of an efficient long-distance power transmission system. Westinghouse Electric won the competition, developing its plans around an alternating current system. The station was completed in 1895 and in 1896, electricity transmission began 20 miles away from Buffalo, New York. This event also began the air conditioning system's rise to dominance over Thomas Edison's direct current methods. Multiple permanent hydroelectric power stations still exist on the American and Canadian sides of the falls, including the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, the third largest in the United States.
The need to provide rural development at the turn of the century was often coupled with the availability of electrical power and led to large-scale projects such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, which created numerous dams and, sometimes controversially, flooded large areas. In the 1930s, the need for power in the Southwest led to the construction of the largest concrete construction in the world at the time, the Hoover Dam. The Grand Coulee Dam was a 1930s power and irrigation project that was expanded for military industrial reasons during World War II, and other dams such as the TVA's Fontana Dam were also built.
Dam building peaked in the 1960s and few dams were built in the 1970s. Growing awareness of environmental problems with dams saw the removal of some older, smaller dams and the installation of fish ladders on others. Instead of new dams, repowering old stations has increased the capacity of several facilities. For example, Hoover Dam replaced its generators between 1986 and 1993. The need to alter downstream water flow for ecological reasons (removing invasive species, sedimentation, etc.) has led to reduced regulated seasons at some dams, changing the availability of water for power generation. Droughts and increased agricultural water use can also lead to generation limits.
Pumped storage
Another application of hydroelectricity is pumped storage hydroelectricity which does not create a net gain in power but allows peak demand to be balanced. Water is pumped from a lower elevation source to a higher one and is only released through generators when electrical demand is high. In 2009, the United States had 21.5 GW of pumped storage generation capacity, representing 2.5% of baseload generation capacity.[10] The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is the largest such facility in the world. Other such stations include the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Plant, the Bear Swamp Hydroelectric Plant, and the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant on Lake Michigan, formerly the largest in the world.
Power of the tides
There are no significant tidal power plants in the United States. The Snohomish County PUD proposed and led a project in Washington, but it ended when problems were encountered in obtaining sufficient funding.[11].
Hydroelectric plants.
Proposed hydroelectric plants.
The Rampart Dam was a proposed 5,000 MW project to dam the Yukon River in Alaska to generate hydroelectric power. The project was never built and laws would have to be changed for this project to be built.
Hydroelectric potential of existing dams.
According to a report from the United States Department of Energy,[13] there is more than 12,000MW of potential hydroelectricity capacity in the 80,000 existing unpowered dams in the US. Harnessing the currently unpowered dams could generate 45 TWhr/year, equivalent to 16 percent of 2008 hydroelectric generation.
• - Renewable energies in the United States.
• - List of reservoirs and dams in the United States.
• - List of the tallest dams in the United States.
• - List of dams in the Columbia River Basin.
• - Tennessee Valley Authority.
• - Electrical sector in the United States.
• - Wind energy in the United States.
• - Solar energy in the United States.
• - Geothermal energy in the United States.
• - Biofuels in the United States.
• - List of renewable energy topics by country.
• - "Waste or progress" Popular Mechanics, January 1935 pp.34-39.
[3] ↑ Administración de Información de Energía de EE. UU. (Enero de 2010) Anual de energía eléctrica 2008 [1], DOE / EIA-0348 (2008), p.2-3, archivo PDF, descargado el 24 de enero de 2010.: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epa.pdf
[4] ↑ La Administración de Información de Energía de EE. UU., “La cuenca del río Columbia proporciona más del 40% del total de la generación hidroeléctrica de EE. UU.”, Today in Energy, 27 de junio de 2014.: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=16891
[6] ↑ Engr. WE Herring, Servicio Forestal de EE. UU., Aplicaciones de Energía Hidráulica . Incluido en el Informe preliminar de la Comisión de vías navegables interiores, presentado al Congreso por Theodore Roosevelt, 26 de febrero de 1908. "La aplicación de las grandes potencias de agua a las necesidades industriales de ciudades distantes tiene menos de diez años y todavía está en su infancia. sin embargo, en este corto espacio de tiempo se han instalado estaciones que suministran a una gran cantidad de ciudades en los Estados Unidos con una capacidad combinada de cientos de miles de caballos de fuerza. Para llegar a estos centros industriales, la energía del agua se transmite eléctricamente, y en muchos casos la distancia es más de 100 millas. Este método de utilización de la energía hidráulica ha sido posible gracias a la transmisión a larga distancia. Hace quince años, 10 millas era el límite al que se podía transmitir la energía eléctrica, pero en la actualidad es muy común 150 millas en una. En el caso de una línea de 200 millas está en uso. Este hecho ha sido el mayor incentivo para tales desarrollos de energía hidráulica ".
[9] ↑ Energía hidroeléctrica "La primera central hidroeléctrica comercial fue construida en 1882 en el río Fox en Appleton, Wisconsin, con el fin de proporcionar 12.5 kilovatios de potencia para iluminar dos fábricas de papel y una residencia. El fabricante de papel HF Rogers desarrolló la estación después de ver Thomas Edison Planes para una central eléctrica en Nueva York ".: http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Ge-Hy/Hydroelectric-Power.html
Recognizing that the great hydroelectric potential of the Falls exceeded local demand for electricity, a large electric company was nevertheless established in the prime location for the development; awaited the prospect of an efficient long-distance power transmission system. Westinghouse Electric won the competition, developing its plans around an alternating current system. The station was completed in 1895 and in 1896, electricity transmission began 20 miles away from Buffalo, New York. This event also began the air conditioning system's rise to dominance over Thomas Edison's direct current methods. Multiple permanent hydroelectric power stations still exist on the American and Canadian sides of the falls, including the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, the third largest in the United States.
The need to provide rural development at the turn of the century was often coupled with the availability of electrical power and led to large-scale projects such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, which created numerous dams and, sometimes controversially, flooded large areas. In the 1930s, the need for power in the Southwest led to the construction of the largest concrete construction in the world at the time, the Hoover Dam. The Grand Coulee Dam was a 1930s power and irrigation project that was expanded for military industrial reasons during World War II, and other dams such as the TVA's Fontana Dam were also built.
Dam building peaked in the 1960s and few dams were built in the 1970s. Growing awareness of environmental problems with dams saw the removal of some older, smaller dams and the installation of fish ladders on others. Instead of new dams, repowering old stations has increased the capacity of several facilities. For example, Hoover Dam replaced its generators between 1986 and 1993. The need to alter downstream water flow for ecological reasons (removing invasive species, sedimentation, etc.) has led to reduced regulated seasons at some dams, changing the availability of water for power generation. Droughts and increased agricultural water use can also lead to generation limits.
Pumped storage
Another application of hydroelectricity is pumped storage hydroelectricity which does not create a net gain in power but allows peak demand to be balanced. Water is pumped from a lower elevation source to a higher one and is only released through generators when electrical demand is high. In 2009, the United States had 21.5 GW of pumped storage generation capacity, representing 2.5% of baseload generation capacity.[10] The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is the largest such facility in the world. Other such stations include the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Plant, the Bear Swamp Hydroelectric Plant, and the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant on Lake Michigan, formerly the largest in the world.
Power of the tides
There are no significant tidal power plants in the United States. The Snohomish County PUD proposed and led a project in Washington, but it ended when problems were encountered in obtaining sufficient funding.[11].
Hydroelectric plants.
Proposed hydroelectric plants.
The Rampart Dam was a proposed 5,000 MW project to dam the Yukon River in Alaska to generate hydroelectric power. The project was never built and laws would have to be changed for this project to be built.
Hydroelectric potential of existing dams.
According to a report from the United States Department of Energy,[13] there is more than 12,000MW of potential hydroelectricity capacity in the 80,000 existing unpowered dams in the US. Harnessing the currently unpowered dams could generate 45 TWhr/year, equivalent to 16 percent of 2008 hydroelectric generation.
• - Renewable energies in the United States.
• - List of reservoirs and dams in the United States.
• - List of the tallest dams in the United States.
• - List of dams in the Columbia River Basin.
• - Tennessee Valley Authority.
• - Electrical sector in the United States.
• - Wind energy in the United States.
• - Solar energy in the United States.
• - Geothermal energy in the United States.
• - Biofuels in the United States.
• - List of renewable energy topics by country.
• - "Waste or progress" Popular Mechanics, January 1935 pp.34-39.
[3] ↑ Administración de Información de Energía de EE. UU. (Enero de 2010) Anual de energía eléctrica 2008 [1], DOE / EIA-0348 (2008), p.2-3, archivo PDF, descargado el 24 de enero de 2010.: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epa.pdf
[4] ↑ La Administración de Información de Energía de EE. UU., “La cuenca del río Columbia proporciona más del 40% del total de la generación hidroeléctrica de EE. UU.”, Today in Energy, 27 de junio de 2014.: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=16891
[6] ↑ Engr. WE Herring, Servicio Forestal de EE. UU., Aplicaciones de Energía Hidráulica . Incluido en el Informe preliminar de la Comisión de vías navegables interiores, presentado al Congreso por Theodore Roosevelt, 26 de febrero de 1908. "La aplicación de las grandes potencias de agua a las necesidades industriales de ciudades distantes tiene menos de diez años y todavía está en su infancia. sin embargo, en este corto espacio de tiempo se han instalado estaciones que suministran a una gran cantidad de ciudades en los Estados Unidos con una capacidad combinada de cientos de miles de caballos de fuerza. Para llegar a estos centros industriales, la energía del agua se transmite eléctricamente, y en muchos casos la distancia es más de 100 millas. Este método de utilización de la energía hidráulica ha sido posible gracias a la transmisión a larga distancia. Hace quince años, 10 millas era el límite al que se podía transmitir la energía eléctrica, pero en la actualidad es muy común 150 millas en una. En el caso de una línea de 200 millas está en uso. Este hecho ha sido el mayor incentivo para tales desarrollos de energía hidráulica ".
[9] ↑ Energía hidroeléctrica "La primera central hidroeléctrica comercial fue construida en 1882 en el río Fox en Appleton, Wisconsin, con el fin de proporcionar 12.5 kilovatios de potencia para iluminar dos fábricas de papel y una residencia. El fabricante de papel HF Rogers desarrolló la estación después de ver Thomas Edison Planes para una central eléctrica en Nueva York ".: http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Ge-Hy/Hydroelectric-Power.html