By SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP), Eight locks and dams in southwestern Pennsylvania that have for decades allowed barges to move goods along the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers will soon generate enough electricity to power 75,000 homes.
Rye Development, an American hydropower company based in Boston, is retrofitting the dams to generate electricity. Rye Development believes the upgraded structures will help to reduce fish and water quality problems.
The project is a result a recent warming between the industry and conservation organizations, who had long opposed dams that prevent fish migration, alter water temperatures, or cause other environmental problems. Rye is one company that sees the opportunity to expand hydropower production at existing Dams while minimizing environmental harms.
President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law, which allocates $2.5 billion to projects that include dam removals and upgrades at existing structures for energy storage and hydropower, reflects recent compromises between industry and environmental groups.
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We recognize that hydropower is likely to play a role in the transition. It’s definitely better than coal, Ted Illston from American Rivers said. The group has advocated for dam eliminations on environmental grounds.
Hydropower, which is a form of hydropower that uses flowing water to create turbines and connect them to generators, has been around since the beginning of time. It is second only to wind power in the U.S. It accounted for approximately 7% of the country’s electricity in 2020.
Although the industry has not received as much federal funding or tax incentives as solar and wind, it sees potential for growth. About 2,500 of the 90,000 dams in the nation produce power. The Electric Power Supply Association estimates that non-powered dams could produce enough energy to power 9-12 million homes. It is based upon federal data from 2012.
One reason for the difficulty is that most dams built in the U.S. more than 50 years ago. Dam collapses have fueled demolitions in recent decades, with over 40% of the nearly 2000 dam removals in the US occurring in the past decade. Some are also being demolished primarily for environmental reasons.
Federal regulators took a step closer last month to approving what would have been the largest dam demolition in U.S. History. The removal of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River, near the Oregon-California frontier, would save salmon and other fish species from being unable to reach their breeding habitats due to the structures.
Still, the hydropower industry is at odds with conservation groups over dams. Conservation groups and state agencies are pushing for removal of four hydropower dams blocking endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching critical habitat on Maine’s Kennebec River. These dams account for about 5% of all the state’s renewable energy.
Individual river systems can get lost in the message of climate changes and the need for renewable power, according to Shannon Ames (executive director of Low Impact Hydropower Institute), which grades hydropower Dams based on environmental criteria.
The industry has an easier path to eastern expansion because of the persistent drought that has affected hydropower production west side the Mississippi River.
Rye, a Pennsylvania company, consulted the Low Impact Hydropower Institute at an early stage of its process. Rye is one of a few companies that are seeking certification from this group.
Companies must demonstrate that they have structures that meet the requirements for certification. According to the group, its environmental standards are often more stringent than federal or state guidelines.
According to a five year study, dissolved oxygen levels, an important indicator of river water quality, were at or above state standards on a recently certified dam on the Ohio River in West Virginia. The organization has certified dams in some states that are eligible for green-energy programs.
Rye stated that its dams will be built in Pennsylvania to support fish migration. Rye also announced that it is creating a fishing pier because federal regulators require hydropower producers and other hydropower producers to support recreation along rivers. Retrofits are expected be in operation by 2025.
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