FFP New Hydro To Deliver 21 Hydroelectric Projects On Existing US Dams
FFP New Hydro has acquired the finances to continue developing its advanced hydroelectric power projects on existing dams in the US.
FFP New Hydro, majority owned by an affiliate of US Renewable Group, itself one of the largest investment firms focused exclusively on the renewable energy industry, announced Tuesday that it had closed a senior loan facility with Crestline Investors, and acquired and integrated Rye Development, FFP New Hydro’s manager, into the company.
These developments will allow FFP New Hydro to continue the development of its portfolio of 21 advanced stage hydropower projects that are being developed on existing US dams over five states — Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Mississippi, and Ohio. The projects will cumulatively reach 200 MW of new generation capacity, and are expected to generate approximately 900 GWh of clean energy each year, which is the equivalent of generating electricity for more than 80,000 homes.
“Hydropower is valued by the investment community for its stable cash flows, long operating life, low technology risk, and highly predictable generation based upon decades of historical river flow data,” said Ramya Swaminathan, President and CEO of FFP New Hydro and Rye Development. “We are pleased to be managing this strong portfolio of hydroelectric power projects, all of which are now eligible for the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).”
The projects are not inherently revolutionary, but in a day and age where cost-effective and efficient clean energy development is king, making use of existing dams to develop hydroelectric energy generators is sure to be well received by most, if not all.
Which is why FFP New Hydro also controls a pipeline of 23 projects which are each in the early stages of development and FERC licensing, and — if completed — will see an additional 280 MW of new generation capacity installed across existing dams in eight states, including Kentucky,Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Ohio, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
CleanTechnica Holiday Wish Book
Our Latest EVObsession Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
Presumably these are existing dams for water storage, without generators.
200 MW doesn’t sound a lot, but it’s despatchable and/or baseload electricity, so valuable.
US installed hydro capacity was 100 GW in 2007.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectric_power_in_the_United_States
10 additional GW could be added by converting existing dams.
http://www.hydro.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Converting4.pdf
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has identified more than 65 gigawatts of untapped hydropower potential in US rivers and streams. Run or the river hydro.
http://nhaap.ornl.gov/nsd
Some of that 75 GW potential will likely be brought online. Every bit of renewable input helps.
Get more than 391 Bucks Daily<-ì want to guíde you to amazíng online work opportunity.. 3-5 h of work a day.. payment at the end of each week.. performance dependíng bonuses…earnings of six to nine thousand dollars /month – merely few hours of your free time, a computer, most elementary familiarìty wìth www and trusted web-connection is what is needed…learn more by headìng to my p rofile page ->
If the dams were built for irrigation or flood control, their water release will likely continue to be regulated in function of that.
That limits their dispatchability: if you empty an irrigation basin just to help meet peak demand, you’ll have a lot of irate farmers on your tail. You shouln’t irrigate early in the afternoon when demand peaks, for example.
I’d imagine they’ll be somewhat similar to tidal power: predictable but not dispatchable.
The great potential I see with these kinds of projects is storage for excess wind and solar generation. Pumped hydro storage is dispatchable, relatively efficient at around 70% and returns the water to the reservoir for other uses.
Yep. I hope that as existing dams are converted to producers pump-up storage is considered. If adding a turbine and transmission lines, why not make it a turbine/pump combo and dig out a few day’s storage below the dam?
With a secondary reservoir water can be released as irrigation demands but power can be generated, and stored, based on grid needs.
While this might not work on the lower Mississippi. Look at the feed rivers thru PA, VWA, OH, KY all have elevated land close to the river. That or old mines, yes would have to rinse and seal, but still.
That is true, that is why notice that the bigger portion of “new” was run of river 65GW verses existing dams 10GWs. Plus some of that 10GW was in upgrading dams that already make power. Some of the navigation dams (locks) would have large seasonal shifts. But would allow shutting down coal plants for a good part of the year.
Wouldn’t the seasonal flow drops happen when solar was at its strongest?
There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip, or dam and drip. Irrigation water in the US may cost about 2 cents a tonne. If a low quality hydroelectric resource generates one kilowatt-hour per tonne of water released, the value of peak electricity compared to off-peak is likely to be considerably more than its value as irrigation water. So there’s probably room for demand management. And there may be a lot of wriggle room between releasing the water and using it for irrigation. There might be a lot of effective storage in the channels or river the i water is released into. And presumably water would often go into farm ring dams for farmers to use when they see fit, so they’d have some flexibility in when to draw water and when to use it.
Along any river of size between App and Rockies there are flood control/navigation dams. On Ohio it is like every 50-100 miles (depending on drop).