Standard Modular Hydropower: Case Study on Modular Facility Design

Adam M. Witt, Scott Deneale, Thanos Athanasios N. Papanicolaou, Benjamin Abban, Norm Bishop

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

Hydropower is a reliable, cost-effective, and widely deployed method of harnessing the power of river systems for human benefit.The undeveloped technical hydropower resource in the United States consists overwhelmingly of sites with small hydropower potential of less than 10 MW of installed capacity. Most existing hydropower projects and the bulk of proposed projects in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission development pipeline are also small hydropower projects. However, the rate of development of new small hydropower projects is at a historical low because of the risks, costs, and uncertainty associated with project development. An acute challenge is the identification and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts, such as alterations to streamflow and water quality and the introduction of barriers that threaten geomorphologic processes and the resiliency of ecological communities. Success in new small hydropower development demands that low-cost, innovative approaches be developed to decrease the adverse environmental impacts of construction and operation.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationUnited States
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

Keywords

  • 13 HYDRO ENERGY

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