Generating untapped hydropower in the Grand Canyon and other major gorges and rivers for renewable energy could help offset climate change, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Energy.
American rivers and streams "have 84.7 GW (gigawatts) hydropower capacity, enough to generate 460 terawatt hours of electricity annually" that is not being used, Bobbg Magill reports for Climate Central. "Subtracting protected areas such as the Grand Canyon, the U.S. has 65 GW of untapped hydropower capacity, if all the streams with hydropower potential were eventually developed, according to the DOE study." (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington have the greatest hydropower potential, while Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island have the least; click on image for larger version)
"One gigawatt of hydropower
can provide electricity for more than 700,000 homes," Magill writes. "Currently,
hydropower totals 7 percent of total U.S. electric power production, and
full build-out of all the sites that would total 65 GW of capacity
would nearly double total U.S. hydropower generation, according to the
DOE."
"While it is highly unlikely that the U.S. would ever fully build out its hydropower potential because of high regulatory hurdles and the environmental consequences of damming or diverting water from rivers or expanding existing hydropower facilities, the DOE is suggesting that at least some development will help reduce reliance on fossil fuels for electric power generation," Magill writes. (Read more)
American rivers and streams "have 84.7 GW (gigawatts) hydropower capacity, enough to generate 460 terawatt hours of electricity annually" that is not being used, Bobbg Magill reports for Climate Central. "Subtracting protected areas such as the Grand Canyon, the U.S. has 65 GW of untapped hydropower capacity, if all the streams with hydropower potential were eventually developed, according to the DOE study." (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington have the greatest hydropower potential, while Delaware, New Jersey and Rhode Island have the least; click on image for larger version)
"While it is highly unlikely that the U.S. would ever fully build out its hydropower potential because of high regulatory hurdles and the environmental consequences of damming or diverting water from rivers or expanding existing hydropower facilities, the DOE is suggesting that at least some development will help reduce reliance on fossil fuels for electric power generation," Magill writes. (Read more)
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