Energy policy to change? Nov 5, 2009
If federal legislation requiring that states get 15 to 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources, Alabama would have a long way to go, Public Service Commissioner Susan Parker told members of the Brewton Rotary Club Monday even though Alabama has been using renewable hydropower for decades. Currently, the proposed legislation does not allow states to count hydro power that was established before 1992 and much of the hydro power Alabama uses comes from waterways that were dammed long... (Brewton Standard, AL)
Three Gorges water plan postponed Nov 5, 2009
Fewer than half of the project's hydropower generators are working ... The current water level is about 171m - but at that level only 11 of the scheme's 26 hydropower generators are operating ... The Three Gorges project is the world's larges hydropower scheme. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
China's Three Gorges Dam comes of age Nov 4, 2009
Abroad, where China has attempted to export its Three Gorges model of generating economic growth through huge hydropower works, Chinese engineers are being confronted with homegrown opposition to such projects. Chinese diplomats are seeing a rising tide of discontent with Beijing's expansion of hydropower diplomacy across Asia and Africa ... It is not only the world's largest but also the costliest hydropower project ever undertaken. (Asia Times Online)
Kaua'i sugar producer's last harvest marks end of an era Oct 31, 2009
After sugar, G continue operating its large cattle ranch, leasing significant amounts of land to seed corn companies, and will produce more hydropower to sell to the Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative. It also has on the back-burner possible plans for a low-density resort on Kaua'i's west shore and hasn't ruled out solar or biodiesel projects, Robinson said. (Honolulu Advertiser)
You have my ear, Gillibrand says to North Country residents Oct 31, 2009
While the meeting was primarily an opportunity for local officials to share their thoughts on the area, Gillibrand later said she saw tourism and renewable energy including hydropower and biomass energy as two obvious areas for continued development. She said economic development should not be something that changes the character of the region. (Utica NY Obserer, NY)
Malaysias green energy gap Oct 31, 2009
For instance, it is going to take at least another 20 years before hydropower become a prominent energy source for Malaysia. The Government is targeting to increase the share of hydropower in the electricity generation fuel mix to 30% by 2030. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
County votes to write letter of support for hydro facility Oct 30, 2009
According to the letter, the fact that hydropower does not require back up from other fuels qualifies it as a green project. The task force believes that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should give preference to alternative energy projects that do not require fossil fuel cogeneration, the letter states. (Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune, WV)
Tata to invest $3.2 bn in hydro JV Oct 30, 2009
2 billion) over five to eight years in a joint venture with Norwegian firm SN Power to develop hydropower projects in India and Nepal, a company official said on Friday ... 2 billion) over five to eight years in a joint venture with Norwegian firm SN Power to develop hydropower projects in India and Nepal. (India Times)
In China, too, Health Care in Disarray Oct 30, 2009
Shen Baohou, 72, who once worked for a hydropower station in Sichuan province, has a serious heart problem, and he -- and his children -- are paying for it dearly. Doctors have operated twice on Shen to implant stents at a cost of more than $15,000, about five times China's per capita income. (CBS News -- US)
China leads solar home revolution Oct 29, 2009
In 2004, SWH units already provided 12% of China's renewable energy, second only to hydropower. According to the government's mid-to-long term plan, China could save 20 million tonnes of coal by installing a total of 150 million square meters of SWHs by 2010. (Asia Times Online)
Tajikistan: Rahmon Visit to Moscow Produces Reduction in Bilateral Tension Oct 28, 2009
The two sides seem to have made progress on two divisive issues - Russia s military base in Tajikistan and hydropower projects ... In a joint statement issued following a meeting on October 22, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Rahmon expressed interest in continuing energy cooperation, including hydropower plants and Gazprom s natural gas projects ... Though rejected on the base rent issue, Tajikistan has reason to hope that Moscow s interest in hydropower development is again on the rise. (EurasiaNet.org)
Goldman Sachs Says `Hazardous' for Investors to Underweight Brazil Stocks Oct 27, 2009
Brazil is seeing some of the largest build-outs in the world underway in power transmission, pipelines, hydropower, and telecom, as global attention from the sporting events puts pressure on the government to accelerate the pace of construction, he wrote. Latin Americas biggest economy is also at an advantage to other commodity-producing nations because it sells to fast- growing China instead of relying on sales to slower-growing markets in the U.S. and Europe, Graham wrote. (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
AISD tops EPA list for green power use Oct 27, 2009
The EPA looked at primary and secondary schools nationwide that use the most power from renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and low-impact hydropower. The EPA said that together these top schools are buying nearly 113 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually, equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions from generating electricity for 11,000 American homes for one year. (Austin Business Journal, TX)
Auburnians to vote on spending limit Oct 27, 2009
The vote came after city officials said the current spending cap makes it virtually impossible for the city to undertake large energy initiatives that incorporate solar power, bioenergy, hydropower or wind energy. Initially, members of the council wanted to remove the cap altogether. (Auburn Citizen, NY)
Western states stress energy cooperation Oct 27, 2009
States in the Southwest have solar resources, while those in the Northwest have hydropower, he said. "If we can move more cooperatively, and use those resources on a regional basis, it seems to me that we can as a region, comply with whatever regime is imposed on us without drastic, catastrophic costs," Boyer said. (Havre Daily News, MT)
Veterans traveling to NH to support climate bill Oct 24, 2009
Organized by the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills and Heritage Mills, a sustainable resource center, the tour will be followed Sunday by a conference at River Valley College in Claremont on the how water power contributes to a "green" environment and the challenges facing northeast hydropower facilities. In Concord, Environment New Hampshire, 350. (Concord Monitor)
Columbia Falls Aluminum to shut down Oct. 31 Oct 24, 2009
But with an increase in population came an increase in demand for cheap hydropower, pitting industry against other users. The amount of at-cost power available to industry was diminished and eventually was replaced entirely by a subsidy that helped the aluminum company and others buy down the cost of electricity. (Montana Standard, MT)
Tower of Power Oct 24, 2009
Already the world's leading generator of hydropower a renewable but sometimes controversial power source because of the impact on river ecosystems China now aims to be the front runner in wind- and solar-power generation. In 2007 the government directed that by next year at least 3% of large power companies' generating capacity should come from renewable sources (excluding hydropower); this target jumps to 8% in 2020. (Time.com)
Columbia Falls Aluminum to shut down plant Oct. 31 Oct 23, 2009
But with an increase in population came an increase in demand for cheap hydropower, pitting industry against other users ... royalwolf wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:25 AM:" "But with an increase in population came an increase in demand for cheap hydropower, pitting industry against other users. (Montana Standard, MT)
Letter: Nuclear energy debate swirls among PSU faculty members Oct 23, 2009
Only hydropower had lower expected lifecycle carbon emissions than nuclear power. In terms of cost, while nuclear power plants are expensive to build, they are among the cheapest to operate. (Daily Collegian, PA)
Hydropower industry braces for glacier-free future Oct 22, 2009
A lack of water for hydropower is already "critical" in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which also sees risks to water supplies to southern California from the loss of the Sierra Nevada and Colorado River basin snowpack ... "That will mean more hydropower generation even if glaciers melt." ... Nations with high power demand in dry seasons could suffer from lower flows, but Doell said hydropower reservoirs could be used to... (Scientific American)
Is climate change for real? Oct 22, 2009
In the overall picture of world energy use, fossil fuels supply nearly 86 percent of the total world energy, the remainder coming from a variety of relatively clean sources such as hydropower and nuclear power, with the latter contributing about 6 percent. The world climate change picture is best associated with the warming that is taking place across the globe. (Littleton Independent, MA)
Study suggests hydropower boom will create a lot of jobs in the West Oct 21, 2009
WENATCHEE Mommas, let your babies grow up to be hydropower engineers. A study released last week predicts that national trends toward cleaner energy could create as many as 700,000 jobs in the hydropower industry nationwide by 2025 ... Job gains in Western states, including Washington, could account for 64 percent of total new jobs directly associated with hydropower and 51 percent of new jobs indirectly associated. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Privatisation of Sarawak Energy to ease plans for aggressive expansion Oct 21, 2009
PETALING JAYA: The offer by the Sarawak government to privatise Sarawak Energy Bhd may be due to financing as the latter has plans to aggressively increase hydropower generation capacity. The state government, through the State Financial Secretary, has a 64. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
Guest opinion: Cost estimates of upgrading dams grossly inflatedThats being done to make dam removal look more attractive than adding fish ladders Oct 20, 2009
Reality wrote on Oct 19, 2009 9:30 AM:" To: Wrong - PacifiCorp has NOT replaced the Klamath Dams megawatts with wind and solar generated power. The dams are still generating hydropower and will for another decade.Are you aware , unfortunately, that wind power HAS to be backed up with hydropower in order to meet the time frame for continuous electricity generation that ONLY hydropower can provide? The dams provide near INSTANT "peaking power" for immediate power generation in times of urgent need... (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
'Divestment will help in branding SJVN' Oct 20, 2009
SHIMLA: Authorities in hydropower major Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL), who are upbeat over the central government's decision to divest 10 percent stake through public offer, Tuesday said disinvestment will help in brandin 00004000 g and creating identity of the company ... "We are ready to invest over Rs.23,000 crore in the power-generation sector. Our plans are to tap 4,000 MW additional hydropower in the next 10 years," ... Recently, SJVNL has signed a memorandum of understanding for the... (India Times)
New energy, renewable energy take 9% in energy structure Oct 20, 2009
China's new energy and renewable energy have boomed in recent years including hydropower, nuclear power, wind power and solar power. The country's installed capacity of hydropower topped 170 million kw in 2008, the biggest in the world ... Hydropower percentage in overall energy structure soared from one percent in 1949 to 7. (Xinhuanet, China)
Cambodia balances East and West Oct 20, 2009
The funds will be dedicated to hydropower projects, two bridges and the rehabilitation of the highway linking the country's Kratie and Mondulkiri provinces. The announcement comes on top of the $880 million in loans and grants Cambodia has received from Beijing since 2006, including finance for the $280 million Kamchay hydropower dam in Kampot province and the recently completed $30 million Council of Ministers building in the capital Phnom Penh - presented as a gift from the government in... (Asia Times Online)
Premier Wen says China will continue developing western region Oct 17, 2009
The investment will go to 18 projects, including railways, express ways, hydropower stations, shipping hubs, water control projects and airports. URUMQI, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Businesses in China's far western Xinjiang region are now required to hire at least half of their new employees from among local residents, according to a government policy issued Wednesday. (Xinhuanet, China)
India to check if China is building Brahmaputra dam Oct 16, 2009
14 billion yuan bid for the hydropower plant in Zangmu, in the middle of the Brahmaputra river ... The Chinese are also building another hydropower project with large-scale dams in Tibet, which has already seen tens of thousands of Tibetans protesting againsyt the building of hydro projects on the Brahmaputra. (India Times, India)
U of M gets $8M grant to study wind Oct 16, 2009
The grant was handed out as part of the DOE s Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program. Two other schools, the in Chicago and the in Orono, Maine, also received grants valued at up to $8 million. (Twin Cities Business Journal, MN)
Top Article: Bullish In China Shop Oct 15, 2009
Today, Chinese multinational corporations are engaged in scores of hydropower, oil, gas and mining projects in Myanmar. In March, China signed a $2. (India Times, India)
Damming the Yangtze: Are a Few Big Hydropower Projects Better Than a Lot of Small Ones? Oct 14, 2009
Damming the Yangtze: Are a Few Big Hydropower Projects Better Than a Lot of Small Ones ... Damming the Yangtze: Are a Few Big Hydropower Projects Better Than a Lot of Small Ones ... China is rushing to build dams along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, in part to protect the Three Gorges Dam, but can such hydropower development be done better. (Scientific American)
Irrigation district considers hydroelectric canal projectHydro facility would generate revenue Oct 14, 2009
CommonSense wrote on Oct 13, 2009 6:15 PM:" What a great idea! I am pleased to see this sort of thinking. Falling water is a great source of clean, renewable power. Much better than building all those ugly wind turbines, burning coal, or covering the earth in solar panels. How about we take this concept to next level and develop some the hydropower resources on the Klamath River? Oh wait... we thought of that about 100 years ago! Silly me, lets tear those down and build a bunch of 'green' power... (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Wong engages China on climate change Oct 14, 2009
Up to $US10 billion was spent each year on Chinese hydropower projects, with more than $US12 billion invested in other renewable energy technologies like solar and wind. Senator Wong said Australia and China shared much - vast renewable energy reserves, a heavy reliance on coal, and concerns that climate change would threaten farming and water supplies. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
24 South St. Notebook Oct 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 1:50 PM EDT. The address for Auburn's Memorial City Hall on South Street is familiar to many follower's of the city's government and its political scene. (Auburn Citizen, NY)
Tanzania: Dar Still Groping in the Dark [editorial] Oct 12, 2009
It is disturbing to note that what was billed as the biggest hydropower project in the country, designed to produce more than 1200 MW of electricity at Stieglers Gorge, has stalled, outlasting three presidents. This is only one of the several projects around the country that are waiting to be executed. (allAfrica.com)
Rescuers search for more bodies in the Philippines Oct 11, 2009
Besides setting off landslides in the mountains, the rains, dumped by Typhoon Parma, has swollen rivers and reservoirs, forcing dams used for hydropower and irrigation to release and causing more flooding in areas downstream. Parma first hit the Philippines on Oct. 3 and hovered around the northern part of Luzon throughout the week. (Scientific American)
Largest Lao dam to open later than planned: company Oct 10, 2009
HANOI (AFP) - Laos's largest infrastructure project, the Nam Theun 2 hydropower facility, will begin commercial operation later than planned, the power company said Friday ... Such engineering problems are not unusual for hydropower turbines, Jean Pierre Katz, the power company's chief executive officer, said in the statement. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Sri Lanka Goes Dark In Nationwide Blackout Oct 9, 2009
Sri Lanka largely depends on hydropower to generate electricity. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. (CBS News -- World)
Dams and cattle Oct 9, 2009
This latest agreement was a year in the making and would take out four hydropower projects downstream of Klamath Falls. It is one element of the larger Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, which deals with water rights, power supply, Tribal lands, fisheries and more. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
Zimbabwe: 'Our Destiny is in Our Hands' Oct 8, 2009
Such projects include the expansion of Kariba Power Station, Gokwe North Thermal Power Station, coal-bed methane power project and the Batoka hydropower station. An Energy Regulatory Bill to consolidate and harmonise the various energy Acts will be tabled during this session. (allAfrica.com)
Isles take step toward green energy future Oct 7, 2009
These are: photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, onshore wind power and in-line hydropower projects. Further, the 5 megawatt limit seems a happy medium. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Editorial: Klamath pact could be a start toward peace Oct 4, 2009
It was hard to imagine they would ever sit down and negotiate a pact that would simultaneously help fish and farmers while also protecting ratepayers who depend on Klamath River hydropower ... But eventually, its executives confronted reality: Getting a new license for their hydropower plants could likely cost more than letting the dams go. (Sacramento Bee -- Opinion)
Negligence Factor in Russian Power Plant Accident Oct 4, 2009
Russian watchdog: Negligence factor in hydropower plant disaster that killed 75 ... The chain of events that led to the accident began hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Bratsk, where a fire at another hydropower facility caused damage that prompted authorities to increase the burden on the Sayano-Shushenskaya, Kutin said. (ABC News -- Wire)
Juneau gets avalanche protection for power line Oct 3, 2009
A big, expensive snow-diverting wall is being built around a transmission tower on Juneau's 43-mile-long Snettisham hydropower line. Two towers were wiped out last year by an enormous avalanche, and the city was for weeks to rely on diesel-fueled generators for expensive electricity. (Anchorage Daily News)
Power authority considers hydro Oct 2, 2009
Aside from this idea, but on a similar note, the town discussed agreements with neighboring towns that have hydropower generators to use as backup power, is now considering intermunicipal agreements where the generators would be the main power source for Kinderhook. Both Stuyvesant and Valatie have such hydroplants, and Stuyvesant s generates much more power than is needed by their residents. (Hudson Register Star, NY)
Water disputes strain Turkey-Iraq ties Oct 2, 2009
Under the 37 billion Turkish lira [US$25 billion] Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP), the government is looking to roll out 22 dams, 19 hydropower plants and irrigation systems. The government predicts that 1. (Asia Times Online)
Officials await Steel Development answer Oct 2, 2009
725 megawatts of low-cost hydropower by the. The allotment is about half the 35 megawatts the company failed to get last April, when it said it was walking away from New York and the site it favored in the Orleans County Town of Shelby. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Stakeholders optimistic in spite of obstacles Oct 2, 2009
Heres a plan wrote on Oct 1, 2009 9:31 PM:" A reasonable plan would involve fish ladders, disposing of salmon eating sea mammals at the mouth of the Klamath and putting a moratorium on fishing by tribes and all others of the salmon for a period of five years. Have the government pay the tribes for the lost fish while trying to recover the runs (the KBRA will force the taxpayer to pay for a tribal 90,000 acre forest and $100 million)and $20 million to Siskyou Co. Let's divide all that up and just... (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
SRP marks 100 years of power generation at Roosevelt Dam Oct 2, 2009
flipped the switch on continuous hydropower from the dam beginning on Oct. 1, 1909, with the electricity arriving at what was Pacific Gas & Electric Co. s new Phoenix substation. It happened two years before the dam was dedicated in 1911, and the electricity supply was probably as important to Phoenix as the water, said James LaBar, senior historical analyst for SRP.. (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)
Landowners advised: Consider wind-energy development Oct 2, 2009
Rud said that East River's electricity supply consists of 24 percent federal hydropower produced from Missouri River dams and 76 percent generated by Basin Electric, a North Dakota power cooperative. According to Rud, East River's electricity came from a mix of fossil fuels and wind energy, and the cooperative was interested in renewable energy even if it came from a small operation. (Madison Daily Leader, SD)
Parnell declares disaster in Pelican Oct 1, 2009
The flume supplies drinking water and powers a small hydropower plant. "The failure of this simple flume created a number of complex threats requiring immediate emergency measures," Parnell said. (Juneau Empire)
Dam tourism: Nation's highest-wattage hydroelectric wonders are in Washington Oct 1, 2009
But it's still the second biggest hydropower producer in the United States. What you'll see/tour: Bigger isn't always better. (Herald Online, SC -- Lifestyles)
Dam power promoted era of Valley growth Oct 1, 2009
Electricity demand grew rapidly across the state and kicked off a boom that saw more hydropower plants built on the canals and also near Camp Verde. After taking over the dam in 1917, SRP built three more hydropower plants on the river downstream from Roosevelt, and later, gas-fired power plants ... 1907: Pacific Gas and Electric agrees to abandon two small hydropower plants and its water rights in exchange for power from Roosevelt Dam. (AZCentral -- Business)
Russia, Kazakhstandeals elusive Oct 1, 2009
On September 18, Nazarbayev repeated earlier promises to supply 500 megawatts (mw) of electricity from the Ekibastuz power plant to Russia in order to help tackle power shortages in Siberia in the wake of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant disaster. 1] In Orenburg, Medvedev praised existing joint ventures, including the Orenburg gas processing plant. (Asia Times Online)
Energy mandates will be bad news for ratepayers in the long run Oct 1, 2009
Utilities cannot count hydropower an undisputed source of clean, renewable energy toward they green-energy target they must achieve by 2020. Hydropower currently is the source of two-thirds of the state s power ... Supporters of the mandate generally are not big fans of the dams that produce hydropower. (Longview Daily News, WA)
PUC approves tariffs for 'green' energy Sep 30, 2009
The PUC will set actual rates within the next few months for photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, on-shore wind, and in-line hydropower projects producing up to five megawatts of power (enough to power 1,500 homes), depending on technology and location. HECO will be required to commit to 20-year contracts for the renewable power. (Pacific Business News, HI)
Miss. steel co. offered hydro-power deal Sep 30, 2009
725 megawatts of low-cost hydropower to a Mississippi company that was looking earlier this year to locate a new plant in Western New York ... Mark Bula, chief commercial officer for Steel Development, said in April that the company was set in February to invest $200 million in a plant in Orleans County but the plan was dropped when a hydropower deal could not be reached with the Power Authority. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Can Wind Power Be Stored? Sep 30, 2009
Utilities today use combinations of and to "firm up" intermittent power sources, but hydropower has spatial limitations and natural gas can be expensive and polluting. Yet the need for reliable backup power will grow as states require utilities to use more renewable energy and the cost of carbon-based power rises in the face of expected regulations. (Scientific American)
Zambia: RB Woos U.S. Investors Sep 26, 2009
President Banda therefore, urged the business executives to take advantage of this resource and invest in agriculture and hydropower production because water was in abundance all year round. Mr Banda said Zambia had attractive investment policies through the Zambia Development Agency Act of 2006. (allAfrica.com)
UN: Droughts, melting ice signs of worsening climate change Sep 25, 2009
Mountain glaciers in Asia are melting at a rate that could eventually threaten water supplies, irrigation or hydropower for 20% to 25% of the world's population, the report said. "We are headed to very serious changes in our planet and we need to appreciate how serious it is in order to lend support to the transformational policy measures that need to be taken," , 's executive director, told reporters. (USA Today -- Tech)
Letters to the Editor Sep 25, 2009
21) states that hydropower projects in British Columbia "don't pass muster with California's current renewable power law.". The reason British Columbia hydro fails is not protectionism but concern about the impact of 600 new dams. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Canadian power line support boosts Southeast dreams Sep 24, 2009
The Canadian government's backing of a high-voltage power line into northwest British Columbia has boosted hopes of Southeast Alaska hydropower proponents that a long-sought electrical intertie between Alaska and the Canadian province might be built. Southeast communities have had trouble developing hydroelectric potential because of limited demand. (Anchorage Daily News)
Living Through The New Energy Crisis Sep 24, 2009
According to the department's , the United States will consume an estimated 114 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy in 2030, of which 37% will be supplied by oil and other petroleum liquids, 23% by coal, 22% by natural gas, 8% by nuclear power, 3% by hydropower, and only 7% by wind, solar, biomass, and other renewable sources. Clearly, this does not yet suggest a dramatic shift away from oil and other fossil fuels. (CBS News)
