Hydro Leader June 2022

Leader ydro H

june 2022

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6

Mary Pavel

Richard Roos-Collins

Chuck Sensiba

How the Hydro Industry, the Environmental Community, and Tribal Nations Came Together to Forge a Legislative Proposal to Improve Hydropower Licensing

ADVERTISEMENT

Rugged Trash Rakes and Trash Racks

Keep water intake free from debris and hassles.

Gene Power

, Paper & Steel Mills | Munic ration | Pulp ipal W ater I nt

Rugged trash racks and rakers keep water intakes free from debris and hassle.

Our innovative debris capture solutions were developed at our own hydroelectric facilities. So, we mean it when we say... ”we use what we sell, every day.” Our trash racks and trash rakes are easy to install, operate and maintain.

Our HDPE trash racks are practically maintenance free, designed to resist rust, corrosion, mussels and other marine life. Our patented electro-mechanical rakers have no hydraulics to maintain so they provide years of flawless performance. *Electro-mechanical Trash Raker U.S. Patent No. 7,815,811 & 9,539,528

akes | Wastew at e

ti o ns r Treatment Plants | Flood Control Pump Sta

For inquiries, please contact Shane Scott at 360.601.2391 or at shane@sscottandassociates.com

ADVERTISEMENT

DEBRIS CONTROL FOR LARGE HYDRO PROJECTS

PROTECTING A BILLION DOLLAR HYDROPOWER PLANT FROM DEBRIS REQUIRES EXPERIENCE ONLY WORTHINGTON CAN PROVIDE.

XAYABURI 1,250 MW

USD 3.8 Billion

DEBRIS SOLUTION

Debris control solutions in more than 63-countries.

Design, Modeling, Supply and Project Support.

Solve your debris problems at w w w. t u f f b o o m . c o m

Worthington BB20

8

How the Hydro Industry, the Environmental Community, and Tribal Nations Came Together to Forge a Legislative Proposal to Improve Hydropower Licensing

Contents June 2022 Volume 3, Issue 6

5 A Groundbreaking Proposal

By Kris Polly 8 How

the Hydro Industry, the Environmental Community, and Tribal Nations Came Together to Forge a Legislative Proposal to Improve Hydropower Licensing 14 S tanford University’s Uncommon Dialogue on Hydropower and River Conservation: Bridging Divides and Forging Consensus 18 U sing Balloons to Shift Broken Concrete Slabs at Glen Canyon Dam

20 A ndrew Blakers of Australian National University: Why Pumped Storage Hydro Is the Solution to the Energy Storage Problem 24 R ory Alsberg of J.F. Brennan Company Inc.: A SecondGeneration Hydro Professional at a Multigenerational Marine Construction Firm 26 N oria Energy: A Fresh Look at Floating Solar 32 I ntroducing FEMA’s New Dam Safety Warning Signs Manual

39 JOB LISTINGS

Hydro Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by

an American company established in 2009.

STAFF: Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief Joshua Dill, Managing Editor Elaine Robbins, Copyeditor Tyler Young, Writer Stephanie Biddle, Graphic Designer Eliza Moreno, Web Designer Caroline Polly, Production Assistant and Social Media Coordinator Tom Wacker, Advertising Coordinator Patricia Bown, Media Assistant Eve Giordano, Media Assistant William Polly, Media Assistant Milo Schmitt, Media Assistant Amanda Schultz,Media Assistant SUBMISSIONS: Hydro Leader welcomes manuscript, photography, and art submissions. However, the right to edit or deny publishing submissions is reserved. Submissions are returned only upon request. For more information, please contact our office at (202) 698-0690 or hydro.leader@waterstrategies.com.

ADVERTISING: Hydro Leader accepts half-page and full-page ads. For more information on rates and placement, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or kris.polly@waterstrategies.com or Tom Wacker at tom.wacker@waterstrategies.com.

CIRCULATION: Hydro Leader is distributed to all hydroelectric facility owners in the United States, to hydrorelated businesses, and to every member of Congress and governor’s office. For address corrections or additions, or if you would prefer to receive Hydro Leader in electronic form, please contact us at admin@waterstrategies.com. hydroleadermag

hydro_leadr

/company/water-strategies-llc

Do you have a story idea for an upcoming issue? Contact our editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

Copyright © 2019 Water Strategies LLC. Hydro Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Hydro Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Hydro Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Hydro Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised.

4 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

hydro.leader

hydroleadermagazine.com

COVER PHOTO:

Mary Pavel, Partner, Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry; Richard Roos-Collins, Principal, The Water and Power Law Group; and Chuck Sensiba, Partner, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP. Background image: Oroville Dam. Photos courtesy of Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry, the Water and Power Law Group, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, and the California Department of Water Resources.

hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES.

HALF-CENTURY LEADERS 34 J iří Ruml: A World Expert on Generators

Hydro Leader

ADVERTISEMENT

A Groundbreaking Proposal

T

his month, we feature news of a groundbreaking set of proposed legislative reforms to the Federal Power Act. Originating in an Uncommon Dialogue discussion series at Stanford University, the reform proposal has the buy-in of the hydropower industry, tribal nations, and the conservation community, and includes nothing that all three parties could not agree on. We speak with three top negotiators—Mary Pavel, a partner at Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry; Richard Roos-Collins, a principal with the Water and Power Law Group; and Chuck Sensiba, a partner at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP. To learn more about the background to the reform proposal, we also speak with Dan Reicher of Stanford University, who launched the Uncommon Dialogue on hydropower and river conservation in 2018.

When a broken slab of concrete in the tailrace of Glen Canyon Dam recently began to shift, the Bureau of Reclamation needed to reposition it, and it used an unexpected means to do so: balloons. Bob Martin, the deputy power manager for Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Power Office, explains.

Andrew Blakers, a professor of engineering at the Australian National University, was one of the leads of a recent project to survey the entire surface of the earth for suitable sites for offriver pumped storage facilities. We talk to him about the study, which returned 600,000 sites, and the importance of pumped storage for the transition to a net-zero energy future.

Decades ago, Rory Alsberg’s father was one of the founders of North American Hydro; today, Mr. Alsberg works for marine construction firm J.F. Brennan Company Inc. We interview him about his background and his current work.

By Kris Polly

If one emissions-free energy source is good, two are better: The large reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams provide a promising location for floating solar installations.

To learn more, we speak with Jairo Criollo and Jon Wank of Noria Energy, which installs floating solar systems.

In September 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released a new manual entitled Dam Safety Warning Signs Best Practices. Edward M. Laatsch, the director of the Safety, Planning, and Building Science Division of FEMA’s Risk Management Directorate, tells us about the manual.

Finally, we continue our Half-Century Leaders series with generator expert Jiří Ruml of Mavel. Mr. Ruml worked with Czechoslovak firm Škoda for decades and has literally written the book on generators: His book How to Purchase a Good Generator is intented to pass on his knowledge to a new generation of professionals.

The new legislative proposal is proof that industry, the environmental community, and tribal nations can come to major agreements. This is an excellent sign for the future of the industry, as are the other technological advances and planning initiatives we highlight this month. H Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Hydro Leader magazine and the president and CEO of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

ADVERTISEMENT

Israel Water Education and Trade Tour, November 30–December 10, 2022 Please save the date for this tour, sponsored by Irrigation Leader, Municipal Water Leader, and Hydro Leader magazine and operated by Imagine Tours and Travel, LLC. $4,797.00 per attendee (with airfare from Washington Dulles International Airport) $4,409.00 per attendee (without airfare) All posted prices, services, and destinations are subject to the terms and conditions of the participant agreement.

To view, please visit https://waterstrategies.com/israel-2022/

Services included in the package: • meeting and assistance at Ben Gurion Airport on arrival • transfer to/from Ben Gurion Airport • licensed English-speaking guide for all transfers and sightseeing days • luxury air-conditioned coach • entrance fees for all visits and tours • eight nights of hotel accommodation • breakfasts and dinners at hotels and farewell dinner at local restaurant hydroleadermagazine.com

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

|5

ADVERTISEMENT

New Revenue Stream Low Impact

High Energy Output Cost Effective

Unleashing water’s natural power Delivering modular, scalable hydropower without the need for construction

u Tailrace-friendly, hydropower turbine modules that don’t affect your waterflow u Installation is easy - no site work or permits u Modular and scalable power generation 5kW - 1MW u Zero risk - can be installed or removed quickly

Learn more about our technology and how we can help you and your customers in these difficult times. We’re all in this together.

Email Sales@Emrgy.com for more information.

www.Emrgy.com

ADVERTISEMENT

HYDRO TURBINE TECHNOLOGY

kaplan | francis | pelton | micro w w w. m ave l . co m

ADVERTISEMENT

How the Hydro Industry, the Environmental Community, and Tribal Nations Came Together to Forge a Legislative Proposal to Improve Hydropower Licensing

The Lower Klamath Project's Copco No. 1 Dam is undergoing the FERC license surrender process.

T

Hydro Leader: Please introduce yourselves and tell us how you came to be in your current positions.

8 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Mary Pavel: I am a partner at the law firm of Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry, which represents tribal governments across the country. One of our clients is the Skokomish Tribe, of which I am a member. My previous experience with the Federal Power Act and the licensing of hydroelectric facilities comes from being a member of a tribe affected by a hydroelectric project.

I’m the former staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, where I worked with Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Jon Tester.

Richard Roos-Collins: I am the principal of the law firm Water and Power Law Group, based in Berkeley, California.

We represent regulatory agencies, tribes, conservation groups, and licensees in various licensing proceedings.

I’m involved in the Uncommon Dialogue as the general counsel for the Hydropower Reform Coalition, which is an association of 160 stakeholder groups across the country.

Chuck Sensiba: I am a partner in the Washington, DC, office of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, where my legal practice focuses on hydropower, licensing, and compliance before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other federal and state regulatory agencies. I also serve on the board of directors for NHA. I represented NHA in the Uncommon Dialogue negotiations. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD ROOS-COLLINS.

he Uncommon Dialogue on hydropower, a discussion facilitated by Dan Reicher of Stanford University, brought together representatives from the hydro industry, Native American tribes, and the conservation community to find solutions they could agree on to longstanding issues surrounding the hydropower licensing process.

The result is a set of proposed legislative reforms to the Federal Power Act, which, if enacted by Congress, would be the most significant overhaul of the hydropower licensing program since 1935. This legislative package seeks improved cooperation among agencies in the licensing process, expanded tribal authority, fast-tracked approval processes for certain projects, and a host of other reforms. To learn more about the proposed package of reforms and its prospects for becoming law, we speak with three top negotiators—Mary Pavel, a partner at Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry, who represented tribal interests; Richard Roos-Collins, a principal with the Water and Power Law Group, who represented the Hydropower Reform Coalition, an environmental group; and Chuck Sensiba, a partner at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, who represented the National Hydropower Association (NHA), an industry group.

Another view of the Copco No. 1 Dam of the Lower Klamath Project.

ADVERTISEMENT Hydro Leader: Why did the conversation about hydropower licensing reform under the Federal Power Act begin? What issues needed to be resolved?

worth of negotiations is a thoughtful and thorough set of proposed changes to the Federal Power Act that is designed to improve the licensing of hydropower projects.

Mary Pavel: In the Uncommon Dialogue and in earlier discussions about amendments to the Federal Power Act, we began by asking what problem we were trying to solve. That question was addressed with honesty and integrity, which built trust among the participants. For each stakeholder interest, there were multiple problems that could be improved through an amendment to the Federal Power Act. For tribal interests, empowering tribal governments to have a seat at the table was a primary goal. Once the stakeholders could agree that an issue was a problem, we moved on to asking how we could solve it and then worked on the particulars of the language.

Hydro Leader: One of the goals of the package is improved coordination between FERC, tribal nations, resource agencies, and hydropower facility owners. What kind of changes in the process would you like to see?

Richard Roos-Collins: Three problems motivated the conservation community’s work in the Uncommon Dialogue. One was the process itself. The licensing process often takes more time and costs more money than is necessary. The second is climate change. FERC is reluctant to consider hydrological modeling to understand the effects of climate change on its licensing decisions. That creates risk for fish, water quality, recreation, and all the other beneficial uses that will be affected by a project over the license’s 30‑year term. The third problem has to do with the process. Even though licensing tends to be transparent and predictable, the license surrender process tends to be idiosyncratic, varying on a project-by-project basis.

Chuck Sensiba: It’s interesting to hear that similar motivations brought us to the table. From the industry perspective, licensing reform has been a high priority for a long time. The reason is that the licensing process—whether it’s relicensing or new project development—takes too long to complete, costs too much, and results in significant uncertainty. Those are the three main issues that the industry brought to the table to try to resolve.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about the Uncommon Dialogue.

Chuck Sensiba: The Uncommon Dialogue on hydro has been an effort led by Dan Reicher at Stanford University.

Dan’s passion is to bring together parties who historically have been at odds in discussion series known as Uncommon Dialogues. As I’ve gotten to know Dan over the last several years, I have learned that he also has a personal interest in rivers. He’s a river runner and also has a background in energy. He’s an ideal fit to bring the spectrum of perspectives together. He started this hydropower Uncommon Dialogue process in 2018, and in early 2021, a working group was formed to determine whether participants in this process could find common ground on hydropower licensing reform.

What has resulted from that working group’s 15 months’ hydroleadermagazine.com

Chuck Sensiba: At the beginning of our negotiations, we were really struggling to find common ground on any issue. The negotiations almost broke down in those first few weeks. Finally, we realized that the issue of improved coordination among regulators was a concept that we could all rally around, as we all saw significant benefit in the concept of improving coordination through technical conferences at key, strategic points in the licensing process.

That was the first really big success of our negotiations.

Richard Roos-Collins: The Federal Power Act is a remarkable statute. It has promoted comprehensive development for all beneficial uses since its enactment in 1920. It authorizes other federal and state agencies to make decisions that become conditions in a license.

This is cooperative federalism, at least when it works well. Our package is intended to address inefficiencies in communication while also preserving that basic structure.

Today, FERC and the other regulatory agencies mostly communicate by written filings. We concluded that more face-to-face communication, either virtual or in a conference room, would improve clarity and outcomes as FERC and others embark on a licensing process that lasts 5 years or longer. As Chuck mentioned, our package proposes what’s called a technical conference, which in plain English just means a conference in which FERC and others sit down at the outset to try to establish a joint schedule. If there are differences, they try to resolve them. Then, we repeat that process with respect to the study plan. Rather than argue about who’s got the authority to require which study, this package proposes that these agencies sit down early in the proceeding to identify studies that will support their respective decisions. We propose taking one of the great virtues of this statute, namely its cooperative federalism, and making it more cooperative, or at least more efficient.

Hydro Leader: Another big piece of this package involves expanding the authority of tribal nations over their lands, waters, and resources. How would the amendments change the status quo?

Mary Pavel: Yes, that’s a critical component. It was born out of the Skokomish Tribe’s experience with the federal agencies’ mandatory conditioning authority under section 4(e) of the Federal Power Act. The Skokomish people rely on the Skokomish River fishery. During the original minorJune 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

|9

ADVERTISEMENT

Two of the three turbines at the Cushman Dam No. 2 powerhouse on the North Fork of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington.

10 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

The penstocks and generating station of the Cushman Dam No. 2.

reservation. Whether our resources can be adequately protected in a process like this should not depend on who’s sitting in the chair of the secretary of the interior. It’s a recognition by all the stakeholders that tribes should be full partners in this process.

Hydro Leader: The amendments package includes proposals to simplify or improve the processes for such things as surrendering licenses, removing nonoperating dams, powering existing nonpowered dams, and constructing closed-loop pumped storage facilities. Please tell us about the motivation behind those proposals.

Richard Roos-Collins: FERC has rules for the license surrender process, but they are relatively thin. They are far less robust than the Integrated Licensing Process. As a result, the license surrender process tends to be less predictable for the licensee and other stakeholders than it should be. Our package would require a rulemaking to refine the process to provide more predictability—in effect, a more detailed description of the steps that the licensee and others will follow. As for nonoperating projects, the package proposes that FERC periodically compile a list of such projects, and for each, develop a plan for either restoring the project operation or not.

Chuck Sensiba: Regarding licensing new projects at nonpowered dams and closed-loop pumped storage projects, the U.S. Department of Energy put together a Hydropower Vision Report in 2016, which concluded that the installation of hydropower at nonpowered dams and pumped-storage projects was far and away the largest opportunity for new hydropower growth in the United States. Our package seeks to leverage these opportunities by requiring an expedited licensing process for these technologies while recognizing that licensing must proceed in an environmentally responsible way. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS BY COLBY FISHER, LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 3.0 AND TAKESHITA KENJI, LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 3.0.

part licensing of the Cushman Hydroelectric Project, the secretary of the interior did nothing to protect the North Fork Skokomish River fishery and the Skokomish Reservation. For 50 years, a dam subverted 50 percent of the flow of the Skokomish River into the Hood Canal, resulting in the destruction of the fishery and the extinction of sockeye salmon in the Skokomish River. The aggradation of the mainstem of the Skokomish River caused by the dewatering of the North Fork Skokomish River resulted in the flooding and destruction of about 30 percent of the Skokomish River Reservation. When the Cushman Project came up for relicensing in 1974, my tribe, which is small and poor, went knocking on the door of the U.S. Department of the Interior, our trustee, to beg for help with the relicensing.

It took almost a decade before anybody at Interior started to take the tribe’s meetings and calls. The tribes in the Northwest have some of the best resource management agencies and capacities of anybody in the world because they are comanagers of these trust resources. The Skokomish poured their blood, sweat, and treasure into developing the science to understand the effect of the Cushman project and how it could be operated in a way that would allow for the restoration of resources, species, and the reservation.

Finally, we were able to get our trustee, Interior, to put forward some section 4(e) mandatory conditions, although they were half the conditions that the tribe wanted. FERC decided that the conditions put forward by Interior weren’t timely and that they exceeded the scope of the secretary’s authority under section 4(e). Ultimately, after the tribe defended Interior’s authority, the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled in favor of the tribe, saying that Interior had the authority to impose the conditions necessary to protect the purposes for which the reservation was established, as long as they were reasonably related to the impact of the Cushman Project. That made clear to tribes that it’s time for us to have that authority, just as we have the ability to manage resources under the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. We don’t need a trustee that is subject to multiple interests deciding how best to protect our

ADVERTISEMENT Right now, the average project takes 7–10 years to be licensed. This legislative package, if enacted, would require FERC to decide on proposed closed-loop pumped storage projects within 3 years and projects at nonpower dams within 2 years. We propose substantially reducing the time it takes for the licensing process to occur for these types of projects.

We also want to ensure that development is environmentally responsible, so under the proposal, not all closed-loop pumped storage projects or new projects at nonpowered dams will qualify. Projects that have complex environmental issues—for which more time is needed to study and determine whether they can be licensed—will not qualify for this fast-track program.

But for the projects that do pass through the environmental screening process, this will lead to huge time savings, and it will help place hydro in a more competitive position relative to other renewables on the regulatory approval front.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SONOSKY CHAMBERS SACHSE ENDRESON & PERRY, THE WATER AND POWER LAW GROUP, AND TROUTMAN PEPPER HAMILTON SANDERS.

Hydro Leader: Sometimes, when the hydropower industry enters negotiations with environmental interests, it fears having to give up a lot without gaining anything in return.

How would you address those concerns?

Chuck Sensiba: The biggest improvement on that score is what we call the requirement to show your work. The showyour-work provisions are enhanced requirements for agencies and participants alike to demonstrate why decisions are made and to provide a rationale. We no longer want to be struggling with black-box determinations. For example, FERC and other agencies sometimes simply cite studies that in some cases span hundreds of pages. This package prohibits them from citing a voluminous report without further specification; rather, they must also specify the chapter and verse in the report that support their decisions. That approach will require discipline and will have a profound effect on decisionmaking. Relative to specific license conditions, one of the ways in which agencies are going to be required to show their work will be to demonstrate a tie between the effects of the project and the conditions that the agencies impose on the license. We don’t want licensees to be required to cure all the perceived or recognized problems in a river basin, but rather to focus on the effects of their particular project and what they can do about those effects.

Richard Roos-Collins: It’s a fair question, and many industry members are asking it. I assure you that that question is being asked by members of the conservation community as well. The question concerns having to give something up and whether you get enough in return. As a guiding principle, we agreed to mutual gains for industry, tribe, and

To see a summary of the proposed reforms to the Federal Power Act as well as the full text of the revisions, please visit tinyurl.com/licensingreform. hydroleadermagazine.com

conservation interests. On topics for which we could not establish mutual gains, we are silent.

Hydro Leader: How are you promoting this package, and what do you see as the necessary next steps?

Chuck Sensiba: The package is now ready for congressional consideration. We’re seeking legislative champions who can see the vision of this compromise. This proposal is different from what lawmakers normally see because it has been carefully and painstakingly developed over a long period of time. We’re hoping that our representatives and senators on Capitol Hill will recognize the benefits it provides and will give it full consideration. Our goal is lofty, but we think it’s achievable. That goal is to have legislation enacted by this Congress. We are mindful that it is a midterm election year and that the legislative calendar is therefore short, but we think this is a rare opportunity to have a spectrum of interests come together to create a package that we all think will benefit hydropower licensing and resolve issues that have plagued licensing for generations.

Richard Roos-Collins: We’re looking for members who will advance this package. We’re briefing members, committee staff, and the administration, and we’re hoping that we’ll find the right opportunity to introduce the package as a bill.

We intend to stand together as a coalition in support of the package when the legislative process begins. This package will advance as a package or not at all. That’s its strength, but that is also its risk.

Mary Pavel: I’m working with many tribes and tribal organizations to help them understand the package and to encourage them to endorse it. Recently, the Yakima Nation sent a letter of support for the package. I am also working through the collaborative process that we’ve been doing with members of Congress. There will be hearings at which we’ll be presenting the package and dealing with the questions that are brought forward with as much integrity as we can. H

Mary Pavel is a partner at Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry. She can be contacted at (202) 312‑1699.

Richard Roos-Collins is a principal with the Water and Power Law Group. He can be contacted at (510) 296‑5589.

Chuck Sensiba is a partner at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP. He can be contacted at (202) 274‑2850.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 11

ADVERTISEMENT

2022 Education Calendar USSD continues to offer top level education through workshops, webinars, and annual conferences.

Webinars and workshops are offered live, and many are available on-demand through USSD’s Learning Center (https://training.ussdams.org).

These high-level learning opportunities address the needs for all sectors of the industry including consultants, contractors, dam owners, academia, etc.

Scheduled for the second quarter and beyond are the following trainings.

Webinars

Workshops

Learning Center

MAY 19, 2022

USSD will hold its Fall Workshop Series in October in Denver, CO.

Check out the Learning Center at https://training.ussdams.org for additional offerings as more training and professional development programs are added and for additional information on scheduled programs.

What is at Risk: How to assess potential dam failure impacts at a national scale?

Workshop topics include:

JUNE 16, 2022

• Leveraging PFMA to Perform SQRA

JULY 21, 2022

• Structural Behavior of Dams

Underwater Inspection Technical Causes of Failure of the Feijao Dam I SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

Developments in Seismic Hazard in the Central and Eastern US (CEUS)

• Fundamentals of Facilitating a Semi-Quantitative Risk Analysis

On Demand Our On Demand Library is always open. Access the Learning Center and filter by “On Demand”

MISSION

VISION

Empower professionals to advance sustainable benefits of dams and levees for society.

A world where all dams and levees are safe and valued by the communities they serve.

Questions about upcoming trainings or group training opportunities?

Reach out to USSD’s Education and Professional Development Director Laura Wright at laura@ussdams.org.

The U.S. Society on Dams is the U.S. National Committee of ICOLD

ADVERTISEMENT

Quality Engineered Steel Penstock Pipe Systems Leading the nation in reliable water transmission solutions since 1966.

Northwest Pipe Company is the most experienced manufacturer of engineered water transmission systems in North America. Bar none.

With locations across the continent, we’re nearby and ready to support your hydro project through design, specification, installation, and testing.

A legacy grounded in water.

Questions about a project?

Contact us!

Northwest & Midwest Region Neal Kelemen nkelemen@nwpipe.com 303-478-8342

Southwest Region Michael LaBroad mlabroad@nwpipe.com 909-839-3978 714-602-6022

Texas Region William Ast wast@nwpipe.com 817-304-8991

Atlantic Region Gary Lewis glewis@nwpipe.com 614-537-7549

NWPIPE.COM

ADVERTISEMENT

Stanford University’s Uncommon Dialogue on Hydropower and River Conservation: Bridging Divides and Forging Consensus

Stanford University is the home of the Uncommon Dialogue series.

I

n 2018, Dan Reicher launched Stanford University’s Uncommon Dialogue on hydropower and river conservation, which brought together parties that had long experienced friction—industry, tribal, and environmental interests—to search for areas of agreement and common goals. The effort has already achieved tangible results, including $2.4 billion in federal funding for dam rehabilitation, removal, and retrofits for power. They also worked out a package of proposed licensing reform amendments to the Federal Power Act, intended to both create healthy rivers and boost hydropower and pumped storage projects.

Dan Reicher: I’ve been involved with clean energy and the climate for a few decades. I was chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Energy under President Clinton and then became assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy for the last half of the Clinton administration. I went from there to one of the early wind

14 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Hydro Leader: Please discuss the origins of the Uncommon Dialogue on hydropower. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO BY JAWED KARIM, LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 3.0.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

companies in the United States and then was a cofounder of New Energy Capital, the first clean energy project investment fund in the United States. I went from there to Google, where I was director of climate and energy initiatives. We worked on clean energy and climate opportunities at the intersection of technology, policy, and finance. When I left Google, I went to Stanford, where I’ve been since about 2011. I set up a new center at the Stanford law and business schools called the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance. I ran that for 8½ years and then moved to Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment, where I’ve been working on the hydropower Uncommon Dialogue project and another Uncommon Dialogue project on controversy over utility-scale solar and land conservation and related matters. I’m currently at Stanford half time; the other half I devote to another clean energy investment fund that was started a few years ago called the Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Fund.

ADVERTISEMENT Dan Reicher: Two of my interests are renewable energy and river conservation. I have been a great fan of rivers since I was a kid. I’ve been a whitewater kayaker, including a competitor in kayak racing, since my teens. I was on the board of American Rivers for almost a decade and, earlier, was a member of a National Geographic– sponsored expedition that was the first to navigate the entire 1,888‑mile Rio Grande. About 5 years ago, as the climate crisis worsened, I began to ask myself, “What are some compelling things that the U.S. hydropower industry and the river conservation community might do together to both increase hydropower generation and advance river conservation?” As I began to do research with some Stanford graduate students, I was surprised to learn there are over 90,000 dams in the United States and that only about 2½ percent of those make electricity. I also learned that a vast proportion of U.S. electricity storage is provided by pumped hydropower. There was also a need to accelerate the removal of the large number of U.S. dams that no longer serve a useful purpose. I knew that Stanford had the Uncommon Dialogue process for facilitating talks on controversial topics in the areas of climate, environment, and energy. I began to quietly ask around about whether convening an Uncommon Dialogue on hydropower and river conservation might be a useful thing to do. We launched the hydropower dialogue in March 2018.

Hydro Leader: Who were the original participants?

Dan Reicher: The original participants were representatives from the National Hydropower Association and other hydropower company representatives; investors; lobbyists; and senior folks from American Rivers, the Nature Conservancy, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and other environmental groups. Early on, the Native American community became involved. So it became a three-way negotiation involving the hydropower industry, the river conservation community, and Native American tribes.

Hydro Leader: What challenges did you face when you started the process?

Dan Reicher: The first hurdle was simply getting people comfortable talking to each other. These are folks who have been deep adversaries for over 100 years, going back to John Muir and the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in the early 1900s. Getting them comfortable talking about their differences and finding areas of common ground was the big challenge. Could we find those, and would they be meaningful? Could we put these areas of common ground together in an agreement that would lend itself to real implementation and meaningful effects?

Hydro Leader: What results have come out of the process so far? hydroleadermagazine.com

Dan Reicher: One area of agreement involved funding.

How do we increase the capital available to improve hydropower, restore rivers, and advance tribal interests? We came up with what we call the 3 Rs: rehabilitate some of the nation’s 90,000 dams for safety, retrofit some for power and pumped storage, and remove some for conservation.

The 3 Rs became the overarching mechanism by which we thought this agreement could be implemented. The three negotiating entities—the hydropower industry, the river conservation community, and the tribes—had very little funding to advance the 3 Rs. But shortly after we reached an agreement in October 2020, Joe Biden was elected president. One of the first areas he focused on was a major infrastructure bill. The funding working group immediately went to work, and by April 2021, we had a specific proposal on infrastructure funding for the 3 Rs. In December 2021, we secured $2.4 billion for the 3 Rs: one-third to rehabilitate U.S. dams for safety, one-third to retrofit dams for power, and one-third to remove dams for conservation. We consider this a down payment on a much larger amount of money— more than $60 billion overall—that we think is necessary for substantial progress on the 3 Rs at the nation’s more than 90,000 dams.

Similarly, the three negotiating entities agreed that the dam licensing process needed reform. Our working group on license reform looked at licensing, relicensing, and license surrender of dams overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Licensing refers to the licensing of new facilities, primarily pumped storage projects, since we are not really building new power dams.

The second is the relicensing of existing power dams.

Lots of dams are in the process of relicensing or are facing relicensing soon. License surrender is the process by which you take down a FERC-licensed facility. License surrender can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Our license reform negotiators worked out a detailed agreement to fundamentally reform the Federal Power Act to substantially improve hydropower licensing, relicensing, and license surrender. It was delivered to the United States House of Representatives and Senate and was the subject of a recent House of Representatives hearing, and we hope it will be adopted by the end of this Congress on a bipartisan basis.

Hydro Leader: What does the industry get out of a process like this?

Dan Reicher: For one thing, $2.4 billion is nothing to sneeze at. We acknowledge that a larger amount of funding will be needed, but it’s a lot more money than the industry or the river conservation community has seen from the federal government in years. The industry also sees an opportunity for major license reform—for example, speeding up the licensing and relicensing process, and expedited licensing for some new pumped hydro facilities. Scores of such projects have been proposed across the United States, and a handful June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 15

ADVERTISEMENT have already received preliminary FERC licenses. That’s a meaningful potential gain for the hydropower industry. At the same time, improving the license surrender process can improve the pace and scale of dam removals.

Two other areas that the Uncommon Dialogue is looking at are technologies that could advance hydropower and pumped storage and basin-scale approaches to managing rivers and the dams on those rivers. A good example of the latter is the approach taken on the Penobscot River in Maine, which was a model for the Uncommon Dialogue. In 2006, hydropower companies, the environmental community, and the Penobscot Tribe reached a major agreement about how to deal with the many dams on the Penobscot. Their approach involved repowering several existing dams, building fish ladders on other dams, and taking some dams down. Several tens of millions of dollars were spent to implement the agreement, and when all the work was finished in 2016, the dams on the Penobscot were actually making a bit more power than when the work started. Fish were returning to the rivers in increasing numbers, and tribal rights in the river have been respected in a more meaningful way.

Instead of a single river basin, we decided to look more broadly at the entire complement of dams, and instead of just the 2,500 powered dams in the United States, we agreed to look at the more than 90,000 U.S. dams of all kinds.

What we found is that if you look at a larger complement of dams, you create broader opportunities to reach agreements.

That’s particularly true given the small percentage of U.S. dams that make electricity. Many dams on rivers in the United States have outlived their usefulness, so there are opportunities to take dams down under the right circumstances in exchange for improvements to existing hydropower facilities.

Hydro Leader: Have you seen increased trust between industry and the environmental community, and is that attitude spreading beyond the people who are immediately involved in this process?

16 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Hydro Leader: Looking forward, what is your expectation for the immediate future of this Uncommon Dialogue, and what is your vision for its accomplishments over the long term?

Dan Reicher: We’ve got a big agenda, with six working groups in various stages. We have support in this effort from Stanford and from the Department of Energy. We are going to keep moving and will support this effort in any way we can. Interest is growing, so I’m optimistic that we are going to see agreements or results in other areas encompassed by the original agreement. One other thing I want to add is that this Uncommon Dialogue has spawned a second one, which we quietly launched this February. The new one is about how to improve the siting of utility-scale solar projects in the United States. In state after state, there’s increasing resistance to large-scale solar projects on the part of local communities, landowners, tribes, and environmentalists.

Hydro Leader: Is there anything you would like to add?

Dan Reicher: Currently, in the United States, we get 7 percent of our electricity from hydropower and close to 90 percent of our electricity storage from pumped storage.

There are a number of proposals for new pumped storage.

Modern pumped storage can make a real difference in firming up variable solar and wind. There’s an important connection there that has emerged in both the hydropower and solar Uncommon Dialogues. H

Dan Reicher is a senior scholar at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment and a partner at the Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Fund. He can be contacted at dreicher@stanford.edu.

hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN REICHER.

Dan Reicher: In a certain way, the most important thing we accomplished was to create productive relationships that didn’t exist before. That gives me great joy to see. You see top lawyers from the hydropower industry, the river conservation community, and tribes being comfortable in each other’s presence and enjoying an occasional good laugh.

They now work productively, even though they still disagree in some areas. There’s a real willingness to work with each other and find common ground. Many of the participants from all sides love rivers, canoeing, fishing, and boating, and they have found common ground there. All this has increased the creativity and productivity with which the parties to the 2020 agreement approach things.

These improved relationships have translated well into public policy. In the case of funding, we found a ready outlet

in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also know as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Much to our surprise, it did not appear at first that dams were going to make it into the federal infrastructure legislation in a significant way. We came along with something that wouldn’t have been there without the Uncommon Dialogue: the $2.4 billion that we ended up putting into the mix. In the case of the licensing agreement, there have been efforts on Capitol Hill regarding licensing reform for many years. They just haven’t gone anywhere because of the tension between the hydropower industry and the environmental community, the tension between Republicans and Democrats, and the tension between conservatives and liberals on this issue. It took an outside effort not just to establish negotiating principles and broad areas of agreement but to actually work out a detailed legislative text.

ADVERTISEMENT

INNOVATIVE HYDROPOWER EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER

NuTURBINE™

Modular & scalable Kaplan turbine.

Optimized for your sites performance.

NuTECH Controller™

Patented turbine intelligence control system add on. Increase efficiency by up to 20%

NuCONTAINER™

Replacing the classic powerhouse.

A modular, prefabricated, standard shipping container powerhouse.

Questions?

Contact Us! Info@NuSTREEM.com 860-724-2868

NUSTREEM.COM

ADVERTISEMENT

Using Balloons to Shift Broken Concrete Slabs at Glen Canyon Dam

A dive boat below Glen Canyon Dam.

W

hen Bob Martin, the deputy power manager at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Power Office, needed to repair a damaged concrete apron at Glen Canyon Dam, he called on Reclamation’s power team, which includes certified divers and ropes-access technicians. The team came up with the idea of using balloons to lift and shift a large concrete slab. Mr. Martin spoke with Hydro Leader about the creative solution his team came up with to solve this unusual problem.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

Bob Martin: I work directly with the managers of the Glen Canyon Field Division in Page, Arizona; the Curecanti Field Division in Montrose, Colorado; and the Flaming Gorge Field Division in Dutch John, Utah. Our employees operate and maintain the Colorado River Storage Project hydroelectric power plants and dams, which include Flaming Gorge in Utah; Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal in Colorado; and Glen Canyon near Page, Arizona. We also operate and maintain facilities at other Reclamation projects, including Fontenelle Dam and Power Plant in Wyoming and the Upper and Lower Molina Power Plants in Colorado.

Hydro Leader: Please introduce the Glen Canyon Dam.

Hydro Leader: What facilities do you work with in your role as deputy power manager for the Upper Colorado Basin Region?

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about the concrete apron component of the dam and explain how it got damaged.

18 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Bob Martin: Glen Canyon was commissioned in 1964. It has eight units and a capacity of around 1,300 megawatts. With the low water we’ve had for the last 22 years, we’ve seen a reduction of about 30 percent in power capacity due to the low head.

hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.

Bob Martin: I started out with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2001 as an electrician apprentice. When I finished the program as a journeyman electrician, I moved up to become a crew supervisor and then the manager at Glen Canyon Dam. Last fall, I became the deputy power manager for Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Power Office.

ADVERTISEMENT Bob Martin: The apron was built at the tailrace to basically diffuse the water as it’s being released. In 1963, the operators were doing a big release through the outlet works, which is on the left side of the dam facing downstream. There was more water coming out of the outlet works than from the plant itself. That created a back eddy, for lack of a better word, in the area of the apron, causing the apron to fail. The operators decided to just leave the damaged apron in place— basically, several large slabs of broken concrete. A few years ago, we started to notice that bigger chunks of the concrete apron were creeping toward the draft tube area of unit 2. We continued to watch them, and after a few inspections, we noticed that one slab was moving into a place where it could potentially impede or completely inhibit our ability to put down the draft tube stop logs. That’s when we decided to remove the slab. Had we not done anything, it was likely just a matter of time before the slab slid into and covered that slot.

Hydro Leader: Please describe the different methods of repair you considered and what you ended up choosing.

Bob Martin: Initially, we thought that given the location, we could get our mobile crane in there, send divers 40 feet down to attach anchors to the block, and use the crane to lift the slab up and out. After the divers arrived on site and assessed the situation, the flows, and the location, we decided that the best approach would be to put anchors on the slab, attach salvage balloons to it, and float it to a new location. That seemed like a safer method than trying to pick the slab up out of the water.

The divers attached four big salvage balloons to the four corners of the slab and then slowly inflated them as a diver down below watched. Once the block was lifted enough, winch lines were used to help guide it into a new location: a big hole further downstream that was created by the 1963 event and subsequent erosion.

Hydro Leader: Now that you have moved the slab to a different resting place, is further action needed, or is it just going to stay there?

Bob Martin: We don’t anticipate needing to move it out of that location. Overall, it was a successful operation.

Hydro Leader: Have you considered doing a repair to patch the concrete between the slabs or to replace the apron entirely?

Bob Martin: I don’t believe that would even be feasible.

Essentially, the apron has been broken for over 50 years, and the only problem that we’ve noticed was that the big slab was moving toward unit 2.

Hydro Leader: The process you selected sounds quite innovative. Does this repair provide a model for any other concrete work you need to do? hydroleadermagazine.com

Broken slabs of the concrete apron seen underwater below Glen Canyon Dam.

Bob Martin: We’re fortunate that Reclamation has a dive team made up of members from various Reclamation facilities. One of those divers had experience with underwater salvage work, such as recovering cars from bodies of water. They knew how to rig the flotation balloons. Had we tried the mobile crane approach, it probably would have been successful, but it would have involved greater risks.

It’s valuable to have an in-house team to tackle a problem like this. In addition to Reclamation’s dive team, the Upper Colorado Power Office has a ropes team qualified by the Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians. The team does inspections, looks for loose rock, tests rock bolts, and so on.

Having the operational flexibility to do work like this without having to go through the contracting process is huge for us.

Hydro Leader: Are there any other big maintenance projects coming down the line for Glen Canyon Dam? Bob Martin: We’re currently halfway through our generator step-up transformer replacement. We’re replacing the original mineral oil–filled transformers with new transformers filled with a natural ester oil. My understanding is that these are the first natural ester oil–filled transformers in the 345‑kilovolt class put into operation. They were manufactured by ABB in Austria and are being installed by Yellowstone Electric from Billings, Montana. H Bob Martin is the deputy power manager for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado Basin Power Office. He can be contacted at rmartin@usbr.gov.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 19

ADVERTISEMENT

Andrew Blakers of Australian National University: Why Pumped Storage Hydro Is the Solution to the Energy Storage Problem

A rendering of a potential 150-gigawatt-hour pumped storage facility in Alabama.

S

eeking to enable a massive increase in energy storage capacity, researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) recently carried out a survey of the entire surface of the globe for potential pumped hydro sites. The number of sites they found may surprise you. Hydro Leader spoke with project lead Andrew Blakers about what the team discovered. His message to the world: Mass storage is a solved problem. Develop your wind and solar now, because the vast untapped potential of off-river pumped hydro storage makes transitioning to 100 percent renewables feasible at low cost.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

20 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Hydro Leader: Please introduce ANU and the engineering department you work in.

Andrew Blakers: ANU is typically rated the number 1 or number 2 university in Australia. Our engineering department has about 60 researchers, with a small number working in 100 percent renewable energy futures. Another 40 or 50 people work in allied areas, such as thermal energy and the grid integration of batteries. I should mention that during the 1980s at the University of New South Wales, Martin Green and I developed the passivated emitter rear contact, or PERC, silicon solar cell, which currently accounts for 90 percent of the global market and has cumulative global sales of about $100 billion to date.

Australian technology is deeply embedded in practically every solar module sold around the world today because the Australian solar industry has been at the forefront of technical development since the early 1970s.

Hydro Leader: What was the motivation for your pumped hydro energy storage project?

Andrew Blakers: When I began looking at 100 percent renewable energy futures, based mostly on solar and wind generation with a bit of existing hydro and bio energy, it hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANU.

Andrew Blakers: I’m a professor of engineering at ANU. I got a degree in physics and math and then a PhD in solar photovoltaic technology, specifically silicon solar cells. For several decades, I worked mainly at the University of New South Wales and ANU on high-performance silicon solar cells. Starting about a decade ago, it became obvious that solar was going to take over the world. It was also obvious that it couldn’t do that unless there was adequate energy storage, in particular overnight storage. Batteries, at the time, were prohibitively expensive, so pumped hydro was the primary option. Most pumped storage sites are on rivers, but I was strongly engaged in environmental protection, and since damming all the rivers in sight sounded like a bad idea, I started looking at off-river sites. These days, I spend most

of my time on 100 percent renewable energy futures, looking at solar, wind, and pumped hydro.

ADVERTISEMENT

This image from the ANU Global Pumped Hydro Atlas shows potential sites for 50-gigawatt-hour pumped storage facilities across the United States.

was obvious that we needed overnight storage of durations of 4–40 hours. It was also obvious that you could get that by damming more rivers, but then you’d come up against formidable environmental and social pushback. We decided to look at the 99 percent of the world’s land surface that is not near a river, excluding national parks and World Heritage areas. For off-river pumped hydro, you need an upper and lower reservoir separated by a few kilometers in space, with a height difference of 100–1,000 meters. That requirement is met wherever there are hills.

To search for potential sites, we conducted a GIS survey of the entire world, excluding polar regions. The survey pixel size was about 30 meters square, and our computer program crawled over every pixel, putting a test dam on it to see whether it had a reasonable water-to-rock ratio. We came up with an enormous number of potential sites. We applied a cost model to each of them and then discarded almost all of them, keeping about 616,000 of the best sites.

Hydro Leader: How many people worked with you on this project?

Andrew Blakers: About three or four. We developed various algorithms for searching the world. The program was initially slow—it was going to take a supercomputer several months to run. Then, it turned out that the son of one of the team members was very good at the C programming language. He converted it into a fast algorithm that allowed us to crawl over the entire surface of the world on a PC in a few days.

Hydro Leader: What factors, besides geographic ones, did you consider in determining whether a potential site was viable? hydroleadermagazine.com

Andrew Blakers: Because the reservoirs typically have rockfill dam walls, the three important parameters to gauge the cost of these systems are head; average slope, which is head divided by spatial separation; and the water-to-rock ratio. The water-to-rock ratio is the amount of water that you can impound relative to the amount of rock you have to move to create the dam walls. Those three numbers can pretty much tell you what the cost of an off-river pumped hydro site will be.

Hydro Leader: Is the availability of fill water also a major factor?

Andrew Blakers: Fill water is a trivial issue in most places, and I can explain why. We conducted hour-by-hour studies over many years for 100 percent renewable energy systems.

This means that we looked at solar, wind, and electricity demand data for every hour of the year for 5, 10, or 15 years.

We looked for solutions that provided enough solar and wind to ensure that there was no hour when demand exceeds supply. To make a solution like that work, we must put energy into mass storage, and we must also interconnect widely spaced regions with high-voltage transmission. We then added up the amount and cost of transmission, solar, wind, and storage. The lowest-cost solutions typically involve 70 percent of the money going into solar and wind generation and 30 percent going into balancing, which includes storage; transmission to smooth out local weather and demand; and curtailment, which refers to the spilling of energy when storage is full and wind and solar energy is still being generated. We know how much storage we need in June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 21

ADVERTISEMENT

Castaic Power Plant, located in Los Angeles County, California, is a seven-unit pumped storage hydroelectric plant with a total storage capacity of 12,470 megawatt-hours.

an advanced country like Australia or Japan, and we divide that amount by the population to work out how much water per person is required for the initial fill and, if necessary, to replace evaporation.

It turns out that if you build these systems over 25 years as you transition from predominantly coal- or gas-based generation to nearly 100 percent renewables, you need about 4 liters per person per day, both for the initial fill and later on to replace evaporation. That’s about 30 seconds of an average morning shower. According to our calculations, even if you had to deliver that water by truck, it would only add a few percent to the capital cost of your pumped storage system.

We also know that land is not an issue, because it turns out that you only need about 3 square meters of pumped hydro reservoir per person to support a 100 percent renewable electricity system. That’s about the area of a queen-size bed.

Hydro Leader: Were you surprised by the number of sites you discovered?

Hydro Leader: Have you seen more off-river pumped hydro sites being developed since you published your results?

Andrew Blakers: Our goal is to save the world from severe climate change, and storage is an important component

22 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO BY SIRBATCH, LICENSED UNDER CC BY-SA 3.0.

Andrew Blakers: We were not surprised by the results.

Australia is flat and arid, and even here we found hundreds of sites in our test runs. When we surveyed the whole world and discovered 616,000 sites, the number sounded right. In fact, there are hundreds of millions of potential sites, but our cost model led us to get rid of all but 616,000. Having gathered 616,000 sites, we ranked them using our cost model into classes A, B, C, D, and E, where class E sites cost about twice as much per unit of energy storage as class A sites.

of that. We are always keen to work with governments, companies, and the general public to let them know that storage is not a problem. Solar and wind can be built with a high degree of confidence that a well-known, off-the-shelf solution for storage exists—namely, pumped hydro. Sites are available in nearly every country in vast numbers. You don’t have to wait around and talk about future cost reductions. So go ahead and build your solar and wind now.

We’ve had strong buy-in in our home country of Australia. Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018, picked up our work. The direct result was the construction of the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro system, which is not off-river but is what we call a bluefield system. It connects two existing reservoirs with an underground tunnel. It has 350 gigawatt-hours of energy storage and 2 gigawatts of power, which makes it bigger than all the utility batteries in the whole world put together.

Within a year of the release of our findings in 2017, we changed the view among politicians and business leaders that hydro had no future in Australia.

That major investment is not surprising: Australia is the global pathfinder for solar and wind deployment. Australia is installing solar and wind two to three times faster per capita than the United States and three to five times faster than China, Japan, and the European Union. Australia generates about twice as much solar energy per person as the next-mostsolarized countries with gigawatt-scale grids: the Netherlands, Germany, and Japan. Australia needs storage much sooner than those other countries. We are currently at about 35 percent renewable generation, most of it solar and wind, and are heading for 80–90 percent by 2030. We’re physically isolated from other countries, so we can’t share energy across national borders like European countries with high levels of solar and wind deployment can. We have to go it alone.

Australia currently has three pumped hydro systems that have been completed, two that are under construction, and another

ADVERTISEMENT dozen under serious consideration—and this is in a country with a population smaller than that of California. Australia is moving faster than the rest of the world to pumped hydro and batteries because we are growing faster per capita than the rest of the world in solar and wind.

Hydro Leader: It sounds like there has been a big acceleration in the development of these projects in Australia. Would you say that’s primarily because of government support?

Andrew Blakers: Apart from Snowy 2.0, most of the interest in pumped hydro comes from private companies on a commercial basis. Mr. Turnbull, who was strongly supportive of pumped hydro and got Snowy 2.0 off the ground, was dislodged from leadership in 2018. Since then, there have been no further initiatives of any great note from the government. Australia has just had a change of government following the federal election of May 2022. The previous Australian government was not particularly supportive of renewables. Now, we’ll have the wind at our backs instead of in our faces. There will be strong support for solar, wind, transmission, the facilitation of pumped hydro, and a whole host of things that we will need to transition to 100 percent renewables.

Hydro Leader: Do you do outreach to private companies, or do they come to you or just use the resources that you’ve made available online?

Andrew Blakers: We are regularly approached by private companies who want to look at the potential for pumped hydro in a particular site, but we don’t hear about most of the interest because people are free to go to our pumped hydro atlas. If you search for ANU Global Pumped Hydro Atlas, you’ll find it easily in your browser. We expect that engagement to increase greatly over the next 5–6 years as solar and wind take over the supply of energy in country after country. As you get up above 30 percent solar and wind, you’ve got to look for overnight storage. When you have to provide 100 gigawatt-hours of storage instead of 1 gigawatthour of storage, suddenly batteries don’t look so promising.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANU.

Hydro Leader: What is the potential for pumped hydro in the United States?

Andrew Blakers: For Australia to support a 100 percent renewable electricity system, you need 2 kilowatts per person of storage power and about 20 or 30 kilowatt-hours per person of storage energy. The area of land required for the pumped hydro reservoirs to support a 100 percent renewable energy system is only 10 percent of the area required for solar panels. If you can find land and space for the solar panels—which you can—then you can also find land for the reservoirs. Of course, batteries in electric vehicles will also have a substantial role. hydroleadermagazine.com

The northern half of the United States has poor solar generation potential in the winter, but the southern United States—Texas, for instance—has good solar generation potential. The United States also has good potential for wind generation, especially offshore on the East and West Coasts and in the central states, from Texas to the Canadian border. But the United States will struggle to get to high levels of solar and wind generation until it strongly connects the energy systems of the East and West Coasts. Texas and the central states are critical because they’re within highvoltage DC transmission range of both the Northeast and the Northwest regions of the United States. Texas suffered a horrendous blackout in 2021 because its electric grid is not strongly connected to its neighboring states. Not only did Texas suffer from its insular grid connection, but it is forgoing an enormous opportunity to export Texan solar and wind to the East and West Coasts. Texas is one of the biggest states, it’s got the biggest solar and wind potential in the whole country, and it’s got unlimited potential sites for off-river pumped hydro. It can supply 24/7 solar and wind power, both summer and winter, to the rest of the United States—a potential that makes its oil industry look small by comparison.

Hydro Leader: What do you believe the future holds for pumped hydro?

Andrew Blakers: I think the future of energy is pretty clear. Generation will be overwhelmingly solar and wind.

They already provide three-quarters of net new generation capacity additions each year around the world, and 99 percent in my own country of Australia. Solar and wind power will be generated at a price of $20–$40 per megawatthour. Balancing will involve long-distance transmission to smooth out local weather and demand as well as storage, which will overwhelmingly be provided by pumped hydro for longer-duration storage and batteries for shorterduration storage and electric vehicles. The overarching theme is the decarbonization of electricity systems and the electrification of everything. Oil will be pushed out of land transport by electric vehicles and gas will be pushed out of water, space, and industrial heating by electric heat pumps and furnaces. Once you remove fossil fuels from electricity, you’ve got rid of 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

All it requires is off-the-shelf technology—there’s nothing to invent. Just get on with it, and that will buy us a decade to work on the harder end of things, which is decarbonizing the chemical industry, aviation fuels, and agriculture. H

Andrew Blakers is a professor of engineering at the Australian National University. He can be contacted at andrew.blakers@anu.edu.au.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 23

Thompson Reservoir Dam in Minnesota, where J.F. Brennan carried out a post-tension anchor installation project.

T

he hydro industry is in Rory Alsberg’s blood—his father was one of the founders of North American Hydro decades ago. Today, Mr. Alsberg works for J.F. Brennan Company Inc., a versatile marine construction firm based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In this interview, he tells us more about his background and his firm’s capabilities.

Hydro Leader: Please tell our readers about how your father started his own hydroelectric company.

24 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Rory Alsberg: Following college, my father, Chuck Alsberg, and a coworker worked for an electric utility company in Wisconsin.

While traveling throughout the state, inspecting transmission lines and planning utility upgrades, they encountered several abandoned hydroelectric projects. They were curious. After several phone calls and further research, they learned that there were several hydro projects nearby that had been shut down for years.

They were interested in learning more and decided to purchase their first hydro project together in 1978 as hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO BY J.F. BRENNAN COMPANY, USED WITH THE PERMISSION OF MINNESOTA POWER.

Rory Alsberg of J.F. Brennan Company Inc.: A Second-Generation Hydro Professional at a Multigenerational Marine Construction Firm

something of a hobby and to use it as a chance to learn. After getting their hands dirty and working on the project during nights and weekends, they eventually got it running and generating electricity.

At only a year and a half out of college, my father and his coworker both ended up leaving their jobs at the utility company to put their time and resources toward rehabilitating hydroelectric projects, and they started North American Hydro (NAH). They invested the profit from the generation of one project in the next and continued this process until 2012. By this point, they owned or operated more than 40 hydroelectric projects throughout the Midwest. In 2012, NAH was acquired by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy.

Hydro Leader: Tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

Rory Alsberg: Growing up around the hydroelectric industry, I have always enjoyed the idea of renewable energy and being around water. While in high school, I worked for NAH during the summers on a variety of tasks at the offices and hydro projects. I cleaned, painted, and helped with repairs and other operations.

In 2003, I started working for NAH full time in hydro operations management. Throughout my time at NAH, I worked in operations, electrical and mechanical maintenance, regulatory, and project management positions. Working on the owner side of the hydroelectric industry gave me an understanding of all things hydro, which has been helpful. While I was at NAH, we hired contractors, including J.F. Brennan Company Inc., to complete work at our projects. I enjoyed working with Brennan and was impressed by the high-quality work they performed.

In 2019, I was presented with the opportunity to work at Brennan. I was excited to be able to work for such a great company and use my dam and hydroelectric experience in a new capacity. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work at Brennan and to continue to work in this industry.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RORY ALSBERG.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about Brennan.

Rory Alsberg: Brennan is a fourth-generation, familyowned marine construction firm based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Working closely with public and private owners of water-based infrastructure since 1919, Brennan operates throughout coastal and inland waterways nationwide, maintaining a large fleet of marine equipment backed by more than 600 maritime professionals.

Everything we do takes place around water. As a result, we have the right people, specialized equipment, and the proper programs in place to mitigate associated risks. Over the past 100 years, our quality work and hydroleadermagazine.com

transparent communication with clients have made us a preferred contractor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and private infrastructure owners across the country.

Hydro Leader: What are your most common types of projects?

Rory Alsberg: Brennan specializes in environmental remediation, dredging, marine and dam construction, commercial diving, underwater inspections, and harbor management services. Brennan is continually adding services and operational locations to better serve the infrastructure needs of our clients. I would suggest checking out our website, jfbrennan.com, to learn more.

We work hard to stay on the leading edge of technology in the industry and enjoy being a resource for challenging projects in and around the water.

Hydro Leader: Please tell our readers about the environmental services that Brennan provides.

Rory Alsberg: Brennan offers flexible approaches and innovative solutions to successfully restore contaminated waterways and wetlands. We remove and properly dispose of contaminated materials on land and underwater and rebuild or cap the area with clean soil to ensure that the area is safe and free of contaminants in the future.

Hydro Leader: What is your message to the hydro community?

Rory Alsberg: It is great to see the progress that the National Hydropower Association and everyone else in the industry has made in getting hydropower recognized as a renewable resource. The new infrastructure legislation should help provide funding for construction projects for many years to come. Let’s work together to improve the nation’s infrastructure.

Hydro Leader: What is your company’s vision for the future?

Rory Alsberg: Brennan’s vision for the future is to continuously develop our intellectual capital, redefining what is possible while setting the industry standard for safe and ethical practices. H

Rory Alsberg is a senior business development manager at Brennan.

For more about Brennan, visit www.jfbrennan.com.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 25

ADVERTISEMENT

Noria Energy: A Fresh Look at Floating Solar

In 2021, Noria Energy deployed the largest floating solar system in the United States at a wastewater treatment plant in Healdsburg, California.

T

he reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams have large, flat surfaces with excellent potential for the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. In addition to generating power, these large installations also reduce water temperature and can prevent algal blooms from forming. Noria Energy is one company exploring the potential of floating solar installations around the world, particularly in hydroelectric settings. In this interview, CEO Jon Wank and Head of Business Development Jairo Criollo tell us more.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your backgrounds and how you can be in your current positions.

26 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Jairo Criollo: I am the head of business development for Noria Energy. My background is in business development, technology, and software banking, and in 2018, I made the transition to renewable energy. We work with customers who have particular energy needs, and we’ve been trying to develop unique solutions that are tailored to water quality and energy resiliency. We started doing development work in Latin America, which is where we realized the potential benefits of combining hydropower and floating solar. We met with some providers and started doing some research and development.

Eventually, that led to our first project to pair floating solar with hydro, which is now being deployed on a hydroelectric reservoir in Colombia. Last year, we deployed the largest floating solar system in the United States at a wastewater treatment plant in Healdsburg, California. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF.

Jon Wank: I am CEO of Noria Energy. I entered the clean energy space in 2013 by joining forces with Professor Mark Jacobson, Actor Mark Ruffalo, business leader Marco Krapels, and filmmaker Josh Fox as a founding member of the nonprofit organization The Solutions Project. We worked with business and science leaders on plans to transition states to 100 percent renewable energy.

In 2018, I pursued the same vision by founding Noria Energy with Alex Mayer and Jairo Criollo to help agencies, municipalities, and large commercial and industrial customers adopt renewables and meet energy goals. We identified

floating solar as a great way to help customers transition to renewable energy. We currently develop floating solar projects across the United States and in Latin America for water agencies, hydroelectric power plants, and commercial and industrial customers. We are also working on grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore floating solar and water quality. We are interested in the potential to improve the water quality on bodies of water in a variety of ways.

ADVERTISEMENT

The installation of the Healdsburg floating solar system.

Hydro Leader: How long has floating solar been around, and how does the technology compare to traditional solar farms?

Jairo Criollo: Floating solar has been around for over 15 years. In 2007–2012, a few systems were deployed, mostly in Asia and at test sites in Europe. The technology grew substantially in 2015 and 2016 in Asia, and as it matured, more providers come into the equation. Floating systems are similar to traditional solar farms. The main difference is that they need to be installed on floats, and with that come the complications of being on the water. For instance, the cabling must be able to withstand these water environments, and depending on its proximity to the ocean, the equipment may need to be able to withstand marine and salt environments. The systems must also be anchored and moored, which involves a lot of planning and design.

Jon Wank: The good news is that companies have been working in marine environments for a long time. It’s not new technology— we’re just taking a traditional system that has historically worked very well and deploying it in a new environment.

Hydro Leader: What makes a reservoir appropriate for floating solar? hydroleadermagazine.com

Jairo Criollo: Reservoirs are attractive for floating solar for multiple reasons. The first is that they typically offer adequate space for the deployment of the system without having to use additional land. In addition, the existing electrical infrastructure of hydropower plants can be used to control costs. Another benefit we are studying is the cooling effect of placing the modules near water, which increases their efficiency and production. We are looking to optimize the dispatch based on water requirements by creating a hybrid system that combines photovoltaic and hydropower generation to deal with seasonality and uncertain rainfall levels. We can use mathematical models to determine the optimal size of a floating solar system to offset the dry seasons or the uncertainty of rainfall and to ensure that the facility is consistently producing energy at maximum levels. The hydro generation can act as a baseline to generate energy when balanced with the solar generation.

In terms of site selection, you want a space free of disturbances and shade from trees or other structures.

Installing on a reservoir means that you don’t have to do any work in the earth—you’re just using an existing surface and anchoring the system to the sides or the bottom of the reservoir.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 27

ADVERTISEMENT Jon Wank: For a country like Colombia, which derives 70 percent of its energy from hydro, climate change and the uncertainty of rainfall can be dangerous. During a dry season, it may not generate enough energy. Floating solar is the perfect complement to hydro to address these problems. When it is not raining, solar production is high and can be used to create a resilient system that maximizes power generation.

Hydro Leader: What are some of the biggest installations you’ve done in terms of surface area and generation capacity?

Another view of the Healdsburg installation.

Hydro Leader: Are there any concerns about health and safety when it comes to water quality or electricity generation near the water?

Jon Wank: Worldwide, more than 4 gigawatts of floating solar have been installed, including systems on drinking water reservoirs in the UK and the Netherlands and in Asia.

Certainly, people are concerned about water quality, but we already have underwater electric installations all over the world that show no negative effects. The materials we are working with, such as high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, are the same ones used for transporting water.

Hydro Leader: Would you say more about how these systems can improve water quality?

Jon Wank: Our systems regulate toxic algae blooms, improve dissolved oxygen levels, reduce stratification, reduce evaporation, and even clean out contaminants. For example, the wastewater treatment plant in California where we installed a project had large algae blooms each summer.

Since the installation, the water quality has improved and there has been less algae, meaning that it costs less to treat the water to be used by agricultural customers.

Hydro Leader: Would you give some examples of installations you’ve done in conjunction with hydropower facilities?

28 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Hydro Leader: How should readers who are potentially interested in floating solar get in contact with Noria?

Jairo Criollo: The first step would be to have a call to discuss basic information regarding the location and to understand the load and energy needs, including the potential for a floating-solar-plus-hydro system. Since we’ve been doing this for a long time, we can generally determine whether there is potential quickly. From there, we would talk about design, permitting, scheduling, and price, aiming both to save money and to increase the generating efficiency of the system overall.

Hydro Leader: What is your vision for the future?

Jon Wank: I think that the intersection of energy and water is going to be extremely important in the future, especially with the challenges we are seeing with water scarcity and water quality. Our vision is to make floating solar more affordable while also preserving and improving water quality. H

Jon Wank is the CEO of Noria Energy. Jairo Criollo is the head of business development at Noria Energy. They can be contacted at jairo@noriaenergy.com. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORIA ENERGY.

Jairo Criollo: We are currently deploying a small system in a hydroelectric facility in Colombia, which will be installed next to the main reservoir wall. The purpose of the system will be to test the complementarity of the hydro and floating solar and the potential to maximize energy production. Sensors will measure water quality and temperature, and researchers at local universities will study the results. Being on a large reservoir, this installation is prone to huge water level fluctuation. We designed it to determine the potential for installing systems on a larger scale in the future, with the aim of better managing the seasonality and uncertainty of hydropower generation, which poses significant issues in equatorial countries.

Jon Wank: Right now, we have a 4.8-megawatt (MW) installation currently in operation and a 13 MW project that’s under development, and we have analyzed systems up to 20 MW. What we’re seeing over time in the industry is that as people get more comfortable with the technology, more and larger systems are being installed. I think as we start looking at larger reservoirs and hydro facilities, our experience will be similar to those of Southeast Asia and Europe, where 20, 50, or even 100 MW systems are being developed.

ADVERTISEMENT HOST UTILITIES:

The Anticipated Current Clean Currents—the official tradeshow + conference of the non-profit National Hydropower Association—launched with great success in 2021.

Now … we’re looking forward to taking this one-of-a-kind experience to the West Coast! Put the event that puts the industry first on your calendar—plan now to join us this fall in Sacramento.

97%

100%

Agreed to strongly agreed that Clean Currents was truly “by the industry, for the industry”

Would recommend that peers attend Clean Currents 2022

Clean Currents

is a Winner with the Waterpower Community Here’s what Clean Currents 2021 attendees had to say!*

92%

99%

Plan to attend Clean Currents 2022

Agreed to strongly agreed that Clean Currents proved to be a valuable experience

*Results from Clean Currents 2021 post-event attendee survey. Percentages based on survey respondents.

Learn more and stay current at CLEANCURRENTS.ORG

ALL-ENCOMPASSING

CONVENTIONAL HYDROPOWER

PUMPED STORAGE

SMALL HYDRO

MARINE ENERGY

ADVERTISEMENT

HOBAS for HYDROPOWER Proven by Our History of Success

With installations dating back to the 1960s and over 250 penstocks worldwide, HOBAS knows Penstocks!

HOBAS Pipe USA’s experienced staff will assist you from project inception through completion. The pipes offer a 100-year design life, superior abrasion resistance and great flow characteristics. Call us today to enjoy the HOBAS benefits on your project.

HOBAS PIPE USA | Home of the 100-Year Design Life Pipe | 281-821-2200

| www.hobaspipe.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Your next hydro project is yet another balancing act of regulation, conservation, and power generation.

Sound Familiar?

At Anchor QEA, we understand the complex intersection of water, environment, and energy challenges, and we know that there are many compliance and permitting requirements necessary to develop hydropower and pumped storage. Our team of scientists, engineers, modelers, and planners is well versed in hydropower development regulations including NEPA, CEQA, FERC, LOPP, and more. We are ready to provide support and design services to get your project permitted, constructed, and generating electricity! www.anchorqea.com

(415) 361-5155 mgabaldon@anchorqea.com

“

The best lobbyist on your issues will always be you. All you need to be successful is the guidance of experienced people. That is what we provide.

Kris Polly, Water Strategies

”

4 E Street SE • Washington, DC 20003 www.waterstrategies.com • (202) 698-0690

ADVERTISEMENT

Introducing FEMA’s New Dam Safety Warning Signs Manual

I

n September 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released Dam Safety Warning Signs Best Practices, a manual that compiles leading practices from industry leaders including federal agencies and industry organizations from the United States and Canada. In this interview, Edward M. Laatsch, the director of the Safety, Planning, and Building Science Division of FEMA’s Risk Management Directorate, tells us more about the manual’s genesis and aims.

conduits, swift currents over spillways, and sudden releases; hypothermia; and risks arising from human activities, such extreme sports, playing in spillways, jumping from structures, fishing from dams, vandalism, terrorism, and suicide.

Hydro Leader: What is FEMA’s overall role in the field of dam safety?

Edward M. Laatsch: We are partnering with the ASDSO and the USSD to promote the document and are planning to provide training with the ASDSO as well. We would like to see visible and understandable warning signs around dams when it is warranted.

Edward M. Laatsch: FEMA’s National Dam Safety Program (NDSP) is the overall leading federal agency for dam safety, with input from the National Dam Safety Review Board (NDSRB) and the Interagency Committee on Dam Safety (ICODS). We cover all types of dams across the nation, including hydropower, recreational, water supply, irrigation, tailings, and multipurpose dams, but the agency does not have regulatory or oversight responsibility. Some of the NDSRB and ICODS members have those responsibilities.

Hydro Leader: Why did FEMA determine that a new dam safety signage best practices document was necessary?

Edward M. Laatsch: Since its conception toward the end of the 1970s, NDSP has overseen a reduction in fatalities due to dam failures. However, fatalities due to regular dam operations or water releases have not been addressed by NDSP. There are dam warning sign guidelines available from other agencies. With approval from NDSRB, we wanted to compile the available best practices and provide a manual for the dam safety community.

Hydro Leader: How did FEMA compile the document?

Edward M. Laatsch: Dam Safety Warning Signs Best Practices is a compilation of existing leading practices from industry leaders, including the U.S. Society on Dams (USSD), the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Federal Highway Administration, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Canadian Dam Association, and the American International Standards Institute. We had a diverse review board to review and provide comments on the document.

Edward M. Laatsch: Hazards from water flows, such as hydraulic rollers, seepage/strainers, flows through gated structures and

32 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

Hydro Leader: Are there any sources of funding for dam owners and operators who would like to bring their existing safety signage up to the new recommended standards?

Edward M. Laatsch: We do not have funding specifically related to safety signage. NDSP provides grants to state dam safety programs and has a high-hazard-potential dams grant that state dam safety programs can apply to improve public safety.

Hydro Leader: What results would FEMA like to see in terms of adoption? Is its goal uniformity in signage across the entire United States?

Edward M. Laatsch: We want the installed messages to be clearly and easily understood by a wide range of audiences and to see safe practices around dams. FEMA’s best practices manual is a reference and should be adapted to the conditions of the facility and needs of the community. Each dam owner is responsible for identifying and following the specific laws and restrictions set out by their state and local jurisdictions.

Hydro Leader: Now that the document has been released, is it being adopted by agencies such as FERC or the Army Corps?

Edward M. Laatsch: We reviewed FERC’s 2001 Safety Signage at Hydropower Projects document and the Army Corps’ 2019 Sign Standards Manual Vol. 1 while developing our manual. FERC and the Army Corps do not need to adopt FEMA’s best practices manual. H Edward M. Laatsch is the director of the Safety, Planning, and Building Science Division of the Risk Management Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more about FEMA, visit fema.gov. hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF FEMA.

Hydro Leader: What are the major safety risks that are addressed by the new document?

Hydro Leader: How is FEMA promoting or publicizing the new safety signage document? What results would it like to see in terms of adoption?

ADVERTISEMENT

We’re Ready to Help

We can help you navigate the complexity of planning, designing, constructing, managing and operating your pumped storage facilities. hdrinc.com

We know one size doesn’t fit all. We will apply our extensive pumped storage experience to support the development of your unconstructed pumped storage project, adding capacity to your current project, or upgrading/modernizing your existing pumped storage facility.

What We Provide • Nationwide pumped storage experience with a variety of geologic conditions • Pump-turbine technology expertise • FERC licensing and relicensing expertise specific to pumped storage projects • Cost-effective environmental and engineering studies • Staff with extensive strategic communication/ stakeholder outreach experience Contact Our Pumped Storage Experts Today Dave Culligan | David.Culligan@hdrinc.com Rick Miller | Rick.Miller@hdrinc.com

HALF-CENTURY LEADERS

ADVERTISEMENT

Jiří Ruml: A World Expert on Generators

J

iří Ruml has more than half a century of experience working with generators, going back to the early 1960s. Working for the Czechoslovak firm Škoda, he helped design more than 70 generators for hydropower plants across the world as well as helping with onsite project management and startup. Since 2008, he has worked for Czech turbine manufacturer Mavel, where he has designed and inspected generators as well as passing on his expertise to the next generation of hydro professionals. In this interview, Mr. Ruml tells us about his past and considers the future of hydropower.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your education and background.

Jiří Ruml: After my studies in the electrical engineering faculty of the University of West Bohemia, where I got my master’s degree, I joined the Škoda Electric Machines company and started working in the synchronous generator design department. I was responsible for electromagnetic calculations for hydro generators and for the design of dimensions and parameters.

Hydro Leader: Would you tell us about your work for Škoda and how you gained experience in the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of hydro generators?

Jiří Ruml: I learned from the professional experience of senior colleagues and experts, and gradually, I started designing horizontal and vertical hydro alternators on my own. At the beginning, we did all the calculations using a logarithmic ruler, then we moved to calculators, and later, I created an electromagnetic calculation software that significantly sped up the entire calculation process. I was always present when the measurements of the completed generators at workshops took place, and I focused on comparing the actual measured results and the calculated parameters in order to achieve the most accurate theoretical calculations.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about how Škoda used your designs to manufacture hydro generators.

Hydro Leader: Would you tell us about the experience of working for Škoda during Czechoslovakia’s transition to

34 | HYDRO LEADER | June 2022

democracy and Škoda’s transformation from a state-owned to a private company?

Jiří Ruml: I worked in the hydro-alternator design department until 1992. After the Velvet Revolution and the political change in the country, I used my knowledge not only in the field of the theoretical design of hydro alternators but also in the area of machine assembly and testing. I started working as a senior assembly, testing, and commissioning expert in Pakistan and later as the director of generator rehabilitation projects in Ethiopia. Škoda Electric Machines was then transformed from a state-owned company to a private entity and changed its name to Brush.

Brush ceased the production of hydro generators and today, it only produces generators for steam turbines. However, at that time I was already retired.

Hydro Leader: How did you come to work for Mavel, and what kind of work have you done at the company?

Jiří Ruml: Mavel, as a producer of hydro turbines, purchases hydro generators from other manufacturers. The company needed a specialist who was experienced with electrical machines to help with requests for proposals for generator manufacturers and to be present during the measurement of the machines at producers’ workshops. Mr. Jan Šíp, a cofounder of and director at Mavel, made me an offer, and I accepted the opportunity to work for the company.

I am happy to have a chance to share my knowledge and experience with my colleagues at Mavel and, among other things, to be present during generator testing and measurements at workshops and during onsite assembly, hydroleadermagazine.com

PHOTO BY PETR MAZÚR, LICENSED UNDER CC0.

Jiří Ruml: I was responsible for the designs and calculations for the hydro generators we offered and produced. All my designs and calculations were used for the production of hydro generators at Škoda, generators that are still operating in hydropower stations. The high quality of Škoda design and production allowed the company to compete with the leading global producers of hydro alternators.

Inside the Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage power plant in the Czech Republic.

ADVERTISEMENT testing, and commissioning and to do the assessment of all the measurement protocols related to hydro generators.

Hydro Leader: Please tell us about your book How to Purchase a Good Generator. Who is the audience, and what is your book’s main message?

Jiří Ruml: One of the directors and cofounders of Mavel asked me to consider writing a book that would help younger colleagues at the company improve their knowledge in the field of hydro generators. The book describes the principles of operation of the synchronous generator, parameters such as efficiency and reactance, measurement methods, and generator design and includes operating diagrams and characteristics. Mavel needs such knowledge when requesting or assessing proposals from generator manufacturers and when evaluating the parameters of hydro alternators that have already been produced.

Hydro Leader: You have designed more than 70 customized hydro generators. What are the main lessons you learned through that experience, and how did you approach change?

Jiří Ruml: Yes, I designed about 70 hydro generators, which are still in operation in power plants in the Czech Republic and abroad. In addition to classic generators of vertical and horizontal design, I designed hydro generators for pumped storage power plants. I developed software for asynchronous startup for pump operation for both pole sheets and massive poles. These generators ranged from 50 to 100 megavoltamperes (MVA). I designed a hydro generator with a maximum power equal to 355 MVA, 22 kilovolts (kV). Two hydro alternator units of this type are still in operation at the Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage power plant in the Czech Republic.

Hydro Leader: What sorts of technological changes have you seen and experienced in the hydro field during your long career?

Jiří Ruml: During my career, there has been an increase in the power performance of generators. The materials have been used more efficiently. Manufacturers have used higherquality stator magnetic circuit sheets as well as higherquality winding insulation. I have always incorporated these changes or innovations in my design work.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAVEL.

Hydro Leader: What are the most important lessons you have learned over your career?

Jiří Ruml: In my opinion, the most significant task in my career was the design of a 100 MVA motor-generator for a pumped storage project. The challenge was to design asynchronous startup using the damping winding of the generator poles for pump operation. The second most important task, and the one I valued the most, was the hydroleadermagazine.com

HALF-CENTURY LEADERS

design of the 355 MVA hydro alternator for the Dlouhé Stráně pumped storage power plant. In this particular case, it was no longer possible to use asynchronous startup; instead, the alternator used an asynchronous motor directly on the unit shaft. This generator was also exceptional because the stator voltage was 22 kV and the winding was cooled by distilled water directly in the hollow conductors of the stator winding. The thermal expansion of the upper bracket’s arms was regulated by a computer in order to avoid any undesired pressure in the concrete structure of the power plant.

Hydro Leader: What is your vision for the future of hydropower?

Jiří Ruml: Unfortunately, at my age, I do not really have any significant prospects for the future of my career. However, I am thrilled that I can work with the Mavel team and share my extensive professional experience in the field of hydro generators.

The development of hydro dams can be quite complicated and very much depends on terrain conditions. It tends to be most economically feasible to build power plants with higher installed power (that is, with generators of approximately 100 MVA) in mountain areas with higher heads, lower population density, and a minimum agricultural production. In countries with rather flat terrain, it is important to assess the advantages and disadvantages of developing new hydropower plants.

Some argue that one of the disadvantages of building hydropower plants is their effect on the environment.

On the other hand, there are also significant advantages.

First, as I have already mentioned, hydropower does not produce any undesired emissions and is thus environmentally friendly. Second, dams can also provide water storage, which may be critical during droughts.

Finally, dams also protect against floods. In countries with flatter terrain, we are generally speaking about power plants with lower installed power and generators in the 5–20 MVA range, suitable for small rivers.

In general, I see a huge potential for hydropower today because it is an emission-free source of energy. In my opinion, hydropower plays a key role at the present moment, when the price of electricity is growing fast and global society needs to decrease the volume of undesired emissions produced by steam power plants in order to protect and maintain a healthy environment. H Jiří Ruml is a generator expert at Mavel.

He can be contacted at ruml@mavel.com.

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 35

ADVERTISEMENT

NWHA FAST FACTS GOAL: BE TIMELY AND RELEVANT TO OUR MEMBERS

130 members 6 states and Western Canada represented 9 committees working to advance education and outreach for hydropower Founded in 1981 80% of hydropower in the U.S. is produced in the Northwest

YOUR VOICE FOR HYDROPOWER IN THE NORTHWEST JOIN US NWHYDRO.ORG TALK WITH US INFO@NWHYDRO.ORG

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Setting the standard.

With decades of experience helping clients navigate the federal and state hydropower regulatory arena, our hydropower practice supports energy industry clients in every aspect of hydropower, including: • Project development • FERC relicensing • FERC license surrender and project decommissioning • FERC and other agency regulatory compliance counseling • Federal and state hydropower and energy policy • Mergers and acquisitions • Hydropower-related litigation and dispute resolution

troutman.com Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

JOB LISTINGS

Leader ydro H

Does your organization have a job listing you would like to advertise in our pages? Hydro Leader provides this service to irrigation districts, water agencies, and hydropower facilities free of charge. For more information, please email Kris Polly at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

MULTIPLE HYDROPOWER SECTOR OPPORTUNITIES Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Throughout the United States Deadline: Until filled Summary: The NHA is a nonprofit national association dedicated exclusively to preserving and expanding clean, renewable, affordable hydropower and marine energy.

As part of its mission the association maintains a career page featuring opportunities that are available among its members as well as throughout the hydropower sector.

Apply: https://careers.hydro.org/jobs/

UNITED STATES SOCIETY ON DAMS MULTIPLE DAM AND LEVEE INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Throughout the United States Application Deadline: Until filled Summary: The USSD envisions a world in which all dams and levees are safe and valued by the communities they serve, and the organization embraces a mission of empowering professionals to advance sustainable benefits of dams and levees for society. In the furtherance of these objectives, multiple positions within this industry sector are posted on the USSD’s website.

Apply: https://www.ussdams.org/resource-center/job-postings/

TECHNICAL SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Remote/Hybrid Deadline: Open until filled Summary: Presenting our product and our values accurately and enthusiastically while maintaining existing lines of business and effectively building new relationships.

Apply: https://nustreem.com/careers/

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Horsham, PA Deadline: Until filled Summary: Will support our local and regional teams with a mix of environmental and civil engineering design. The applicant will have 7+ years of experience working on environmental projects, including remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial designs, and implementation of remedial action.

Apply: https://www.anchorqea.com/

careers/careers-open-positions/

SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER - PRECAST Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Orem, UT, Salt Lake City, UT, or Texas Deadline: Until filled Summary: Recommends, plan, and implement equipment upgrades to improve production efficiency and/or cost reduction procedures. Serves as project manager for major capital projects. Recommends, writes, and provides justification for capital improvement projects.

Apply: https://www.nwpipe.com/careers/

LEAN MANUFACTURING & SAFETY COORDINATOR Salary: Dependent upon qualifications Location: Salt Lake City, UT Deadline: Until filled Summary: Manages the maintenance and implementation of safety programs, compliance plans, and initiatives.

Participates in the investigation of incidents, near misses, and property damage incidents. Ensures follow-up is done to minimize future exposure and proper records/documents are maintained.

Apply: https://www.nwpipe.com/careers/

FOR ADDITIONAL HYDRO-RELATED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, VISIT: National Hydropower Association careers page: https://www.hydro.org/careers/ United States Society on Dams job listings page at: https://www.ussdams.org/resource-center/job-postings/ hydroleadermagazine.com

June 2022 | HYDRO LEADER

| 39

Leader ydro H

Upcoming Events

June 6–7 Idaho Water Users Association, Water Law and Resource Issues Seminar, Sun Valley, ID June 6–16 Bureau of Reclamation, Safety Evaluation of Existing Dams International Technical Seminar and Study Tour, Multistate travel event (CO, NM, AZ, NV) June 10–15 American Public Power Association, National Conference, Nashville, TN June 13–16 Nevada Water Resources Association, Well and Water Week, Reno, NV June 15–17 Texas Water Conservation Association, Summer Conference, Round Rock, TX June 20–22 American Public Power Association, National Conference, Orlando, FL June 27–28 National Hydropower Association, Northeast Regional Meeting, Baltimore, MD June TBD North Dakota Water Users Association, Summer Meeting, Fargo, ND July 11–13 North Dakota Water Resource Districts Association and North Dakota Water Education Foundation, Joint Summer Water Meeting and Executive Briefing, Fargo, ND July 12–14 Hydrovision International, Denver, CO July 25–27 National Water Resources Association, Western Water Seminar, Fairmont, MT July 28 North Dakota Water Resource Districts Association, Water Day at the North Dakota State Fair, Minot, ND August 1–3 National Conference of State Legislatures, Legislative Summit, Denver, CO August 10–12 National Water Resources Association, Western Water Seminar/Tour, Hot Springs, MT August 15 National Hydropower Association, Alaska Regional Meeting, Ketchikan, AK August 23–24 Colorado Water Congress, Summer Conference, Steamboat, CO September 16 Agribusiness and Water Council of Arizona, H2Open Golf Tournament, Casa Grande, AZ September 18–21 American Public Power Association, Business and Financial Conference, Savannah, GA September 19–20 Nevada Water Resources Association, Fall Symposium, Reno, NV September 26–29 National Rural Water Association, WaterPro Conference, National Harbor, MD

To sign up to receive Hydro Leader in electronic form, please contact us at admin@waterstrategies.com. hydroleadermag

hydro_leadr

/company/water-strategies-llc

hydro.leader

hydroleadermagazine.com