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Interview: Intermittent generation cannot be sustained without hydropower

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Interview: Intermittent generation cannot be sustained without hydropower

Keith Hayes is uniquely positioned to see the value of hydropower in the context of a clean energy resource portfolio.

Hayes is senior vice president, clean energy solutions with the New York Power Authority. NYPA operates 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80% of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower.

In his role, Hayes is responsible for a portfolio of over $1.5 billion in annual revenues. He oversees coordinated planning, execution and performance management of NYPA’s clean energy solutions division including business and economic development, customer engagement, engineering and construction management, contract and tariff management, and financial performance and controls.

What’s more, based on his decades of experience in the hydroelectric power industry–and his willingness to share his expertise with others as a HYDROVISION International conference planning committee member and speaker–he is well qualified to share his views on modern hydropower and how can it continue to support other renewable generation sources.

Read on for his insights and perspectives on hydropower in the U.S., climate change challenges and more.

Elizabeth Ingram: What does the term “modern hydropower” mean to you?

Hayes: Hydroelectric power has played a fundamental role for industrialization in the U.S. and in other countries throughout the world. Some of the earliest factories relied on running rivers and hydro mills to supply inexpensive and reliable power to advance manufacturing. There were limitations to these operations, including climate, location and proximity to markets. No different, hydroelectric power in New York State also played a crucial role in the advancement of industrial development and economic purposes for the benefit of rural and domestic customers.

Fast forward to providing low-cost, clean and reliable power to large manufacturers, municipals and rural electric cooperatives throughout the state with advanced technology and an interconnected grid that removed historical barriers and limitations. Run-of-river dams and reservoirs replaced the old watermills and large volumes of water run through modern turbines, generating electricity that can be transported throughout the state, meeting businesses where they are.

We have reached another turning point in history with globalization taking on a whole new meaning, requiring innovative solutions and advanced energy technologies to move us toward a cleaner energy environment. The proliferation of intermittent renewable generation (solar and wind) on the grid simply cannot be sustained without the support of large-scale hydroelectric baseload facilities.

Example, NYPA’s hydro facilities began operations in the late 1950s and early 1960s and were built to serve manufacturers, municipals and rural electric cooperatives with more than 3,400 MW of clean hydropower. They now also serve to stabilize the New York State grid, ramping up and down in response to market signals from the New York State Independent System Operator (NYISO) due to, among other things, intermittent resources on the grid.

Q: How is NYPA keeping its hydroelectric facilities modern?

Hayes: NYPA is investing $1.1 billion in our Robert Moses Niagara (hydroelectric) Power Project. As part of the investment, our Life Extension and Modernization (LEM) and Controls Upgrade program will replace aging assets, install digitally integrated sensors and monitors, and provide system hardening and cybersecurity improvements. Our unit control upgrades will provide precise, real-time data to operators as part of the smart generation and transmission strategic initiative and further NYPA’s progress as the first end-to-end digital utility in the U.S. New backup controls will also be incorporated to mitigate the risk of losing main control room functionality, improving both plant and system reliability.

Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant

The Robert Moses Niagara Power Project anchors New York State’s energy system as the leading source of hydropower and will accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy environment. Improving this facility is a top priority as the state continues to work toward its renewable energy goals.

Q: What is the main challenge for hydropower development around the world?

Hayes: In the U.S., the main challenges are environmental impacts resultant from interfering with the natural pathway of a river and the impact on local ecosystems. And then globally, it is the geopolitical challenges between nations with rivers that cross or go beyond national borders. It’s not that different from what NYPA dealt with back in the early 1900s when attempting to build our hydroelectric projects.

Q: What are the innovative approaches that you would put forward and use as an example of hydropower as a modern, evolving technology?

Hayes: Implementation of hydrokinetic energy along rivers versus dam building can address many of the issues around the effects on indigenous species. Further development of pumped storage hydropower dispatched in combination with solar, wind and battery storage can play an important role in decarbonizing the grid.

Also, utilizing wind and battery storage in the off-peak hours when demand is lower to pump up the reservoir and then running the hydro generators during the on-peak hours to meet demand and further stabilize the grid around the effects of the very same intermittent renewables.

Q: What is the most striking change you have witnessed for hydropower recently?

Hayes: Climate change is having a severe impact on water supply. Droughts globally are drying up reservoirs, leading to an impact on the expansion of hydropower worldwide. It is a cycle of getting more renewables on the grid to offset greenhouse gas emitters, which are contributing to climate change, which is having an impact on water levels.

Q: Could you identify key hydro markets and explain why they are attractive?

Hayes: The shift toward cleaner energy sources and plans to increase the share of renewable energy in the total power generation mix across all the major developed and emerging economies across the world make hydropower very attractive. When comparing the levelized cost of energy with fossil-fueled generation, hydropower can be the long-term, clean and smart investment that aligns with positive impacts on climate change. 

Q: What single change would you like to see that could enhance to the role of modern hydropower?

Hayes: We’re working with partners across the state to connect the dots between well-working hydroelectric systems and a stable grid that connects more renewables.

As we move off fossil fuels, NYPA plays a critical role in ensuring the overall reliability of the state’s grid, and we continue to help the broader energy industry understand that synergy.

Q: Any final comments/thoughts on the future of hydropower?

Hayes: Hydropower has been around for 150 years and will likely be here well into the future. We shouldn’t lose sight of what has worked effectively and with minimal, if any, long-term impacts to our environment.