Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 4.9
The dam and spillway of the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in
Washington.
ADVANCED HYDROPOWER TECHNOLOGY
The U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE, 2008) and its associated technical activi-
ties support the development of technologies that will enable existing hydropower
facilities to generate more electricity with less environmental impact. This will
be done by (1) developing new turbine systems that have improved overall perfor-
mances; (2) developing new methods to optimize hydropower operations at the unit,
plant, and reservoir system levels; and (3) conducting research to improve the effec-
tiveness of the environmental mitigation practices required at hydropower projects.
The main objective of its research into advanced hydropower technology is to
develop new system designs and operation modes that will enable both better envi-
ronmental performance and competitive generation of electricity. The products of
USDOE research will allow hydropower projects to generate cleaner electricity, and
USDOE-sponsored projects will develop new equipment and operational techniques
to optimize water-use efficiency, increase generation, and improve environmental
performance and mitigation practices at existing plants. Ongoing research efforts
contributing to the success of these objectives will enable up to a 10% increase in
the hydropower generation at existing dams; these objectives include the following:
•
Test a new generation of large turbines in the field to demonstrate that these
turbines are commercially viable, compatible with today's environmental
standards, and capable of balancing environmental, technical, operational,
and cost considerations.
