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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
'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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Off the grid on upper Hudson Sep 24, 2009
Today, it's dotted with dams powering still-profitable hydropower plants, while many of the paper mills have been shuttered and left as rusty, hulking reminders of a sunset industry. You can't help but notice a largely untapped potential, with only a slowly growing recognition of its recreational possibilities. (Albany Times Union)
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)
Sound Waves Save Roads Sep 24, 2009
"A road can't collapse into the earth and constitute the same safety risk as a bridge or a hydropower facility, which can in fact collapse, as has recently happened in the US and Russia," says Nils Ryd;n, who for the last couple of years has been busy, alongside his research, helping the Road Administration and various construction companies by tuning his technology so they can use it for their particular needs. Nils Ryd;n was inspired to test the possibility of inspecting roads with sound when... (Science Daily)
China makes landmark pledge to curb CO2 emissions Sep 23, 2009
A carbon target should speed up a planned boost in renewables like wind and hydropower, already financed in part by foreign funds channeled through current schemes to tackle warming. It will also appeal to those in the financial industry who hope to see China set up a carbon trading scheme, because Beijing will be forced to step up its ability to measure output of the gases, which is key to any market in credits to emit. (Scientific American)
Canadian government support boosts AK-BC intertie possibilities Sep 23, 2009
A decision by top Canadian leaders to build a high-voltage transmission line into northwest British Columbia is being praised by Southeast Alaska hydropower proponents as a key step in developing the long-sought electrical intertie between Alaska and the Canadian province ... A decision by top Canadian leaders to build a high-voltage transmission line into northwest British Columbia is being praised by Southeast Alaska hydropower proponents as a key step in developing the long-sought electrical... (Juneau Empire)
Mom & Pop focus on Cahaba lily which only lasts a day Sep 22, 2009
Unfortunately, as rivers were dammed for hydropower and transportation over the past century, species began to disappear. Alabama now leads the lower 48 in extinctions, mostly among its freshwater species. (Weymouth News, MA)
Carbon intensity in focus as China's Hu heads to U.N. Sep 22, 2009
Beijing's worries about energy security and massive pollution had already prompted the introduction of an energy intensity target from 2006, but a carbon target will also speed up a planned boost in renewables like wind and hydropower. "Energy efficiency does not distinguish renewables from the other sources of energy," said Yang Fuqiang, director of the solutions program at WWF.. (Scientific American)
China to raise wholesale hydropower electricity prices Sep 21, 2009
China considers to raise wholesale hydropower electricity prices_English_Xinhua. China considers to raise wholesale hydropower electricity prices ... BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China would make pilot moves to raise hydropower electricity prices in a bid to subsidize residents who made way for the power projects, Zhang Guobao, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, said over the weekend. (Xinhuanet, China)
Renewable power play Sep 21, 2009
PG example, has already expressed interest in buying hydropower from British Columbia. "It will create a viable market for what's proposed up here," said Keller, an organizer with Friends of Bute Inlet, which opposes the hydropower projects. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Using whats already there Sep 21, 2009
MONTROSE Though using hydropower is a green solution, it is not the main reason that Project 7 Water Authority decided to incorporate the emissions-free power into its plant. We did it because it made sense, plant manager Dick Margetts said. (Montrose Daily Press, CO)
Nigeria: Why We Extended Ceasefire - Mend Sep 19, 2009
He said the current capacity of over 5,200 mw is hampered by insufficient gas supply to thermal plants and low water levels at dams servicing hydropower stations. Wya stressed that amnesty deal has helped the situation as contractors for power plants and pipeline repairs are returning to site, hence the optimism that 6,000 mw would be delivered. (allAfrica.com)
Cathay Forest's Jatropha Investment Receives Valuation Report From Poyry Sep 19, 2009
Poyry's knowledge extends across hydropower, oil and gas, power and heat, renewable energy, pulp and paper industry, chemical process industry, transportation, water and environment, and construction services. Forward-Looking Statements. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
CLIMATE GAIN Sep 16, 2009
The region should also tap its underexploited renewable resources, particularly hydropower, to meet increasing energy demand and boost both growth and development ... Okonjo-Iweala added that only 8 percent of the continent's hydropower was currently being exploited, and that increasing the used of its renewable resources would help Africa meet growing demand for energy as growth picks up. (AlertNet)
Three Gorges Project spending within budget: official Sep 14, 2009
82 billion kw/hours of hydropower by late June, and sold 318. 8 billion kwh of clean energy to state power grids which supply east, central, southern parts of the country. (Xinhuanet, China)
New energy: key to next round of world economic boom Sep 13, 2009
In building up hydropower, nuclear, solar and wind power capacities, China aims at increasing the proportion of new energy in total energy consumption to 10 percent by 2010 and to 15 percent by 2020, with an emphasis on supplying advanced energy technologies to rural China to serve 700 million people in a more environment-friendly fashion. Although China was recognized as the market with the most potential in new energy sector, many challenges remained, Wu said. (Xinhuanet, China)
Kenya: Power Tender Loser Eyes Geothermal Energy Sep 13, 2009
Under the East African Power Pool that will be mandated with developing a power market in the region, Kenya seeks to tap into its rich geothermal potential while Uganda will focus on hydropower as Tanzania concentrates on gas. Already, Muringa says it has requested to be licensed as an independent power producer (IPP) by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). (allAfrica.com)
