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Report quantifies small hydro’s contribution to investments

According to the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2015 report, 2014 brought a rebound of green energy investments worldwide, surging 17% to $270.2 billion. This reversed the investment dip of the past two years. In addition, renewables (excluding large hydro) reached 100 GW of installations.

Highlights of the report include:

— China saw the biggest renewable energy investments in 2014, a record $83.3 billion (up 39% from 2013). The U.S. was second at $38.3 billion (up 7%), and Japan was third at $35.7 billion (up 10%).

— Investment in developing countries was $131.3 billion (up 36%), with $138.9 billion for developed economies (up 3%).

— Wind, solar, biomass, waste-to-power, geothermal, small hydro (1 MW to 50 MW) and marine power contributed an estimated 9.1% of world electricity generation in 2014, compared with 8.4% in 2013.

— The market in 2014 was dominated by investments in solar and wind, which accounted for 92% of overall investment in renewable power and fuels.

Specifically, overall investment in small hydro slipped 17% to $4.5 billion.

The report does not cover hydro projects greater than 50 MW because this technology is at a very different stage of its roll-out than, for example, wind and solar.

Renewable energy technologies made up 48% of the net power capacity added worldwide in 2014.

This ninth annual report was prepared by Frankfurt School-http://www.hydroworld.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue-3/articles/small-hydro-lsquogreeningrsquo-the-tea-industry-in-east-africa.html United Nations Environment Program Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance and Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

ASME releases book, Machines That Made History

Machines That Made History is a photographic book highlighting 100 key landmarks in the history of mechanical engineering, devices or innovations that have shaped the world. “Some are obvious, like the automobile… Sometimes they are large and visible, like the rockets that took astronauts to the moon; sometimes they are all but invisible to the general public, like the pumps that provide water to our cities or the turbines that generate our electric power,” the book says.

The book contains a chapter on energy, and technologies discussed include the Archimedes screw pump, which contributed a simple, fault-free mechanism for moving substances from one elevation to another; and the water wheel, used to distribute municipal water supplies.

A chapter on engineering the environment discusses how humans have manipulated the environments in which they lived, leveling hills and filling valleys, and developing inanimate power sources.

— To purchase the book for 9, visit http://ebooks.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/book.aspx?bookid=1124.

Reclamation names Hilldale Engineer of the Year

Robert Hilldale recently received the Engineer of the Year award for 2015 from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.

Hilldale is a civil engineer at Reclamation’s Technical Service Center. Reclamation pointed to his “significant research contributions toward measuring the natural transport of gravel in rivers, which is a key component of sediment transport.” He also led research efforts for the Elwha River Restoration Project in Washington.

Hilldale also has led a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency effort researching the use of hydrophones to measure moving particles in water and led river restoration projects to improve aquatic habitat for endangered fish. He is chair and member of the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project.

This achievement earned Hilldale a chance to compete as Reclamation’s nominee for the 2015 Federal Engineer of the Year Award, sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Regional winners of the Engineer of the Year award for 2015 are:

— James H. Russell, supervisory electrical engineer, Washington;
— Rufino Gonzalez, civil engineer, California;
— William G. Jones, electrical engineer, Montana;
— Thomas Nichols, supervisory civil engineer, Nevada; and
— Scott Winterton, supervisory engineer, Utah.

Netting product installed at Puget Sound Energy facility

A netting system supplied by Pacific Netting Products has been installed by Puget Sound Energy. Two barrier nets divert, guide and collect downstream migrating http://www.hydroworld.com/topics/salmon.html salmon in the Skagit River. The High-Tech Barrier Nets went into service in October and November, in time for the outbound spring migration of sockeye salmon.

The net at Upper Baker Lake is 2,000 feet long and 300 feet deep. The Lower Baker Lake net is 2,400 feet long and 300 feet deep. Both were designed for pool fluctuations of 50 to 70 feet and for single direction water velocities of 0.1 to 0.5 feet per second. They are anchored by side-shore embedments.

Other hydro owners using PNP nets are Consumers Energy, AmerenUE, Ontario Power Generation and PacifiCorp.

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