Hydropower from Old Dams in the US can Create Renewable Energy

Hydropower Old Dams
  • Hydropower can be used as a source of electrical energy for the United States by utilizing old dams.
  • Old dams make the most of the American dam infrastructure. The dam was built to meet various needs, such as flood control, navigation, water supply, and recreation.
  • According to the US Energy Information Administration, only 3% of the 90,000 dams in the United States currently produce electricity.

Hydropower can be used as a source of electrical energy for the United States by utilizing old dams. When countries are competing to get electricity from fossil fuels to prevent climate change, the United States has its own way. There was a big boost in the United States to improve the dam. One of them is by reviving the old dam to get abundant electricity from hydropower. The purpose of increasing the dam is for water management with a water power plant turbine. 

Of about 90,000 dams in the United States, only a few produce water power. Most American dams are more than 60 years old. Dams such as Dam Hoover, Dam Caraon, and Dam Lake Powell became iconic dams built during the heyday of American dam construction. The dam was built from the 1930s until the 1960s, and the dam becomes a symbol of industrial strength that develops in America and the main source of renewable energy. However, this dam has suffered from climate change. Extreme droughts have caused a drastic decrease in electricity production from hydropower. 

Read more:



Meanwhile, precipitation is increasing in most of the Midwest, South, and East. There, hydropower is an important need for electricity production. Hydropower contained in the old dam is being developed to be able to produce electricity without affecting the climate. In this case, hydropower is a renewable energy source that can produce electrical energy.

Old dams make the most of the American dam infrastructure. The dam was built to meet various needs, such as flood control, navigation, water supply, and recreation. Of the estimated 90,000 dams in the United States, around 2,200 of them produce hydropower. The country’s water resources contribute 37% of the country’s renewable energy supply. Hydropower can play an important role and is potentially unique in energy production. Solar and the wind produce intermittent energy. However, hydropower can operate day or night. Some hydropower facilities can turn off or increase energy production very quickly. 

Rye Development is a leading developer of run-of-the-river dams. At present, Rye Development has 22 licensed hydroelectric power plants in the pipeline. The scale of these projects varies. The smallest is Kentucky Lock and Dam 11, on the Kentucky River. This project will produce 18,500 megawatts of energy every year, enough energy to power 1,700 houses. Meanwhile, Rye’s biggest retophyte project is the Overton project at Red River in Louisiana. This is a 49 megawatt project, which when finished will give enough electricity to power more than 9,000 houses. 

Read more:



According to the US Energy Information Administration, only 3% of the 90,000 dams in the United States currently produce electricity. The 2012 report from the US Department of Energy found that the dam had a potential capacity for water power plants of 12,000 megawatts. One megawatt can power 750 to 1,000 houses. That means, with a water power plant capacity of 12,000 MW, it can power more than 9 million homes.

The 60-year-old Red Rock Power Plant project on the Des Moines River was re-installed in 2014. The dam was reused to produce 36.4 MW to 55 MW. With the capacity of a hydroelectric power plant, it is considered to be able to supply electricity to 18,000 houses. 

In Ontario, around 1,000 dams without electricity are owned by various levels of government. The projects have been operating, such as the retrofit of the McLeod 950 KW Dam on the Moira River in Belleville, Ontario, in 2008.

Editor: Riana Nurhasanah

References:

[1]Giving old dams new life could spark an energy boom

[2]Some old dams are being given a new power: generating clean electricity

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *