Alternative energy is anything other than fossil fuel and with the administration determined to promote the agenda, “Green” may be as perilous to fish as cracking hydrocarbons …
The ability of the nation’s aging hydroelectric dams to produce energy free of the curse of greenhouse gas emissions and Middle Eastern politics has suddenly made them financially attractive — thanks to the new economics of climate change. Armed with the possibility of powerful new cap-and-trade financial bonuses, the National Hydropower Assn. has set a goal of doubling the nation’s hydropower capacity by 2025.
Doubling the nation’s hydropower can be garnered at least three ways; more dams, more energy eked from existing dams, and more energy squeezed from existing flows.
It’ll be up to the engineers to determine whether any of the three can be done with less impacts to fish.
Across the country, there are about 82,600 dams, but only about 3% of them are used to generate electricity. Hydropower produces about 6% of the nation’s electricity, and nearly 75% of all renewable electric power.
Retrofitting dams used for other purposes are the low hanging fruit, and if fish ladders/passages come with the retrofit that could be a boon.
My area is rife with small dams used for flood control and irrigation water, all block passage to migratory fish – destroying the steelhead and the California salmon runs. I’d be willing to roll the dice on a refit that added the possibility of restoring fish to old haunts.
Tags: dam removal, hydropower, California salmon, electricity, fossil fuel, alternative energy, green energy, fish
Retrofitting dams will likely be hugely expensive, though you’re right – getting improved fish passage would have to be part of the bargain.
My concern is that we’re seeing another push for micro-hyrdoeletric projects – small dams on even smaller waters.
Because there are no anadramous fish populations involved, people think fish passage isn’t an issue, though it clearly is. As are flows.