Back to small-scale hydro

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Public Power; (United States)

OSTI ID:5496819

Gibbons, A M

Alexander Hamilton's post-Revolution plan ofor developing small-scale hydro power is reexamied in light of the present need to supply industrial production with domestic energy. The 1200 participants in a government-sponsored inthernational conference on the subject discussed the possibilities of producing electric and mechanical power as well as the commerical production of hydrogen and ozone. The Administration and the US Army Corps of Engineers will be responsive to local initiatives to develop a resource estimated to include 5400 existing dams and another 4500 underdeveloped sites - about 512,000 MW of capacity. While front-end costs are high-, small-scale hydro requires a short lead time, needs little maintenance, provides life-time fuel savings, and is environmentally sound. Former Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Ellis L. Armstrong points out that, worldwide, hydropower considered likely to be developed is about 2.2 million MW installed capacity, with a yearly productive potential of nearly 10 million gigawatt-hours of energy equivalent to about 40 million bbl of oil per day burned in power plants.

• OSTI ID: 5496819
• Journal Information: Public Power; (United States), Journal Name: Public Power; (United States) Vol. 37:6; ISSN PUPOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

13 HYDRO ENERGY
130000* -- Hydro Energy
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
296001 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Electric Power Generation-- (-1989)
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
LOW-HEAD HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
POWER GENERATION
POWER PLANTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCE POTENTIAL