Hydro Review Magazine

Over a century of hydroelectric power and legacy for Ephraim, Utah

By Cory Daniels Nestled in the heart of the U.S. state of Utah, the city of Ephraim has a rich history of innovation and community-driven progress. One of the most significant milestones in this history is the development and evolution of the city’s hydroelectric power system. Ephraim’s oldest hydro plant, which began operating in 1905, was inducted into the Hydro

By Scott DeNeale, Lindsay Ashworth, Antonia Chu and Shih-Chieh Kao Conduit hydropower is a form of low-impact hydropower that uses existing water infrastructure, such as canals or pipelines, to capture what would otherwise be wasted energy. Agricultural conduits convey irrigation water across vast stretches of the U.S., primarily in the west, and are well-suited for hydrokinetic power capture within the

Mitigating high vibrations of a new hydro turbine dewatering pump

By Bernard F. Boueri and Joanna Rice-McVicars At an Ontario Power Generation hydroelectric project, in Canada, the motor for the new dewatering pump for a newly installed hydro turbine was experiencing high vibrations. Site personnel engaged the Machine Dynamics (MD) Group at OPG to measure and assess the severity of the vibration. This article details the approach taken to identify

Using a drone to analyze a 35-m-high surge tank at Taltson Hydro in Canada

By Eloise McMinn Mitchell Hydroelectric power is a highly scrutinized industry. The infrastructure is built with the best technology of the day. However, that technology is constantly developing. Over time, it is necessary to go back to the hydroelectric plant and update it and, where possible, upgrade the plant output. The 18 MW Taltson Hydroelectric Facility is situated on the

A step toward navigable waters: A history of McNary Lock and Dam

By Hannah Mitchell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District As people moved into the U.S. Pacific Northwest, communities grew around the rivers, especially the Columbia and Snake. Back then, the rivers were temperamental and hard to navigate. However, there was a vision to create a river highway, one that would allow barges to carry cargo from the Pacific

Explore the Verdi hydroelectric plant’s place in northern Nevada’s history

By Truckee Meadows Water Authority For more than a century, hydropower has helped keep the lights on for homes and industry in the northern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. Initially established to provide electricity for the Comstock Lode mines in Virginia City, the three Truckee River hydroelectric plants continue to produce sustainable energy while offsetting a large portion

Pumped storage hydropower and the Inflation Reduction Act are a renewable powerhouse

By Michael Manwaring The energy transition requires more renewable energy sources — and pumped storage is a proven “water battery.” The transition away fr…

Reflecting back: A decade of the Women with Hydro Vision awards

This year marks the 10th class of winners of the Women with Hydro Vision awards, presented annually at HYDROVISION International to recognize deserving women wh…

Great Falls station celebrates 100 years of reliable operation

By Bruce Owen Great Falls Generating Station, Manitoba Hydro’s second-oldest hydroelectric plant, turned 100 years old in 2023. The station, on the Winni…

Powering forward with digitalization at Lucky Peak

By Ben Prier and Derek Stone The residents of Boise, Idaho, have relied on Lucky Peak Dam for flood control, irrigation and recreation since the 1950s. The U.S….

Executive interview: ‘Hydropower has always been modern and will always be’

Dr. Klaus Engels is director operations hydro Germany with Uniper Kraftwerke Gmbh. Uniper is an international energy supplier based in Germany with a total inst…

Carlo Esterle: 110-year-old Italian plant combines beauty, history

By Edison Spa The 23 MW Carlo Esterle plant is one of the first hydroelectric power plants built in Italy. It contributed considerably to the country’s in…

Managing sediment behind an 80-year-old dam in Switzerland

Verbois Dam is located 12 km downstream of the city of Geneva, Switzerland, on one of the major European Rivers, the Rhône River. The 11.4-km-long reservoir wa…

Executive interview: Facing the “tension between water operations and maximum generation”

Tom Roode is chief of operations and maintenance with Denver Water, the largest and oldest water utility in Colorado. Founded in 1918, Denver Water operates a s…

Delve into the history of the Boulder Canyon Hydroelectric Facility

By City of Boulder The 5 MW Boulder Canyon Hydroelectric Facility is a hydropower plant owned and operated by the City of Boulder in the U.S. state of Colorado….

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