Planting the [open quote]seeds[close quote] for increased water availability for hydro
- North American Weather Consultants, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
Cloud seeding programs are providing some hydro producers with a way of increasing their water reserves on short notice and with relatively low cost. The fundamental formula has been known for half a century: clouds plus cold plus solid particles equal precipitation. What was not certain until more recently is how that relationship could be effectively used to alter the weather in positive ways. Research and practical experience now show that cloud seeding -- adding tiny solid particles to the right clouds at the right temperature -- works. More pertinent, evidence is mounting that hydropower producers can use well-designed, carefully times seeding programs to increase the amount of water available to their systems and thus enhance electricity generation. Cloud seeding has several advantages as a tool to augment hydroelectric production. Seeding programs typically require no capital investment by the utility or other power producer, and can be started and stopped on relatively short notice. Operating costs usually are less than $10 per acre-foot of additional streamflow. More broadly, the additional water produced for hydro generation has the environmental and community relations benefits of being reusable and less expensive than thermal power alternatives. There also normally are the additional benefits of increased water supplies for other users.
- OSTI ID:
- 5809386
- Journal Information:
- Hydro Review; (United States), Vol. 12:5; ISSN 0884-0385
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANTS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
RAIN
PRODUCTION
SNOW
CALCULATION METHODS
CLOUDS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
SILVER IODIDES
STREAMS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IODIDES
IODINE COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
POWER PLANTS
SILVER COMPOUNDS
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
130100* - Hydro Energy- Resources & Availability