The U.S. standard hydropower fleet consists of 2,252 hydropower crops with a complete producing capability of 80.58 GW, which produced 6.2% of the nation’s electrical energy in 2022 and practically 30% of all renewable era. As well as, it has 43 pumped-storage hydro (PSH) crops, a mixed capability of twenty-two GW, and an estimated power storage capability of 553 GWh.
Supply: Megan M. Johnson, Shih-Chieh Kao, and Rocio Uria-Martinez. 2023. Current Hydropower Belongings (EHA) Plant Database, 2023. HydroSource. Oak Ridge Nationwide Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.21951/EHA_FY2023/1972057
In accordance with the U.S. Division of Power’s (DOE’s) September 2023–issued U.S. Hydropower Market Report, standard U.S. hydropower capability elevated 2.1 GW between 2010 and 2022. PSH capability elevated 1.4 GW over the identical interval, although 97% had been capability upgrades to the prevailing fleet. The report notes that PSH offered a median storage period of 12 hours—a lot increased than the median storage period of the nation’s 445 utility-scale battery installations, which stood at two hours.
Nevertheless, capability investments, investments in refurbishments, and upgrades in U.S. hydropower have slowed within the 2020s, relative to the 2010s. “These declines is likely to be partially defined by COVID-19 restrictions and provide chain challenges that resulted in delays and price will increase; within the case of U.S. imports of hydraulic generators and turbine components, the lower in exercise begins in 2019 and was doubtless influenced by U.S. import tariffs,” the DOE says. Hydropower incentives licensed within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation (BIL) and the Inflation Discount Act (IRA) tax credit “are anticipated to stimulate funding in upgrades to the prevailing fleet and building of latest hydropower and PSH tasks within the coming years,” the company notes.
On the finish of 2022, 117 new services had been within the improvement pipeline—a mixed capability of 1.2 GW. Almost half (56) had obtained authorization from the Federal Power Regulatory Fee (FERC) or Bureau of Reclamation. Nevertheless, solely eight of them (14 MW) had began building. In the meantime, 96 PSH tasks had been within the improvement pipeline. Most have closed-loop configurations, which permit extra siting flexibility.
5 Largest Hydropower Amenities
1. Grand Coulee (6.2 GW from 33 items): an intermediate plant in Grant County, Washington, owned by the Bureau of Reclamation. Its operation started in 1941.
2. Chief Joseph (2.5 GW from 27 items): Opened in 1955, the Douglas, Washington, plant is operated by the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers (USACE).
3. Robert Moses Niagara (2.5 GW from 13 items): a run-of-the-river plant in Niagara, New York, owned by the New York Energy Authority. Operation started in 1961.
4. John Day (2.1 GW from 16 items): a run-of-the-river plant in Sherman, Oregon, operated by the USACE. It started operation in 1968.
5. The Dalles (1.8 GW from 24 items); a run-of-the-river plant in Wasco, Oregon, operated by the USACE . Its operation started in 1957.
5 Largest Pumped Hydro Storage Amenities
1. Bathtub County (3.7 TWh from six items): Owned by Virginia Electrical Energy & Co. It started operation in 1985.
2. Raccoon Mountain (2.3 TWh from 4 items): A Tennessee Valley Authority mission in Hamilton, Tennessee, that started operation in 1978.
3. Ludington (2.2 TWh from six items): : A Shoppers Power mission that started operation in 1973.
4. Unhealthy Creek (2 TWh from 4 items): Owned by Duke Power Carolinas, the Oconee, South Carolina, mission started operation in 1991.
5. Muddy Run (1.5 TWh from 8 items): Constellation’s mission in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, started operation in 1967.
—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior affiliate editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).
