WASHINGTON (AP) — In southwestern Pennsylvania, eight locks and dams that have helped barges move goods down the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers for decades will also generate enough electricity for 75,000 homes in a few years.
Rye Development, a Boston-based hydropower company, is upgrading dams with turbines to generate electricity and says the upgrades will limit damage to river water quality and fish.
The project reflects a recent thaw in relations between industry and conservation groups, which have long opposed dams that could prevent fish migration, change water temperatures and cause other environmental problems. As the US pushes for a low-carbon energy transition, Rai is among the companies that see an opportunity to expand hydroelectric power generation at existing dams while working to minimize environmental damage.
Recent compromises between industry and environmental groups are reflected in President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Act, which provides $2.5 billion for projects including removing dams and upgrading existing hydropower and energy storage facilities.
“We understand that (hydropower) is likely to play a role in the transition. It’s definitely better than coal,” said American Rivers’ Ted Illston, who has advocated for dam removal on environmental grounds.
Hydropower, which uses running water to turn turbines connected to generators, is the oldest and second largest renewable energy source in the US after wind power. In 2020, it accounted for approximately 7% of the electricity generated in the country.
This industry has not received as much federal funding and tax credits as wind and solar, but sees room for growth. Of the 90,000 dams in the country, about 2,500 produce electricity. The Electricity Supply Association estimated, based on 2012 federal data, that dams without electricity could produce enough power for 9-12 million homes.
Part of the problem is that most dams in the US were built over half a century ago. The risk of dam failure has driven dam demolitions in recent years, with more than 40% of the nearly 2,000 dam demolitions in the country over the last century occurring in the last decade. Some have also been demolished mainly for environmental reasons.
Last month, federal regulators came one step closer to approving what would be the largest dam removal in US history. Removing four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River near the Oregon-California border will help save river salmon and other fish species that cannot reach breeding grounds due to the facilities.
Hydropower and conservation groups also still clash over dams. On the Kennebec River in Maine, conservation groups and state conservation agencies are pushing to remove four hydroelectric dams that are preventing endangered Atlantic salmon from reaching key habitat. Dams produce about 5% of the state’s renewable energy.
“It’s very easy for individual river systems to get lost in the message of climate change and the need for renewable energy,” said Shannon Ames, executive director of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, which categorizes hydroelectric dams based on environmental criteria.
With the ongoing drought affecting hydroelectric power generation west of the Mississippi River, the industry has a more direct path to expansion in the eastern states.
In Pennsylvania, Rai consulted with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute early in the process and is among the few companies seeking certification from the group.
To be certified, companies must show that their facilities meet the requirements for endangered species protection, cultural and historical use of rivers, fish lanes and recreational areas. The group says its environmental standards are often stricter than state or federal regulations.
For example, at a recently certified West Virginia dam on the Ohio River, dissolved oxygen levels — an important indicator of river water quality — met or exceeded state standards, according to a five-year study. In some states, dams certified by the organization are eligible for clean energy programs.
Rye said his Pennsylvania dams will include structures to support fish migration and that he is building a fishing pier as federal regulators require hydroelectric power producers to support recreation in river systems. It is expected that the modernization will be put into operation as early as 2025.
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