Latest Hydro Energy News Aug'21

Latest Hydro Energy News from around the world: 

1. Second Largest Hydropower Plant:  When the project’s 16 generating units are completed by July 2022 as slated, the 16-GW Baihetan will become the second-largest hydropower facility in the world after the giant 22.5-GW Three Gorges Dam. The 16-GW Baihetan hydropower plant features 1-GW hydropower turbines.
2. Tamil Nadu, India: Tamil Nadu hopes to exceed the hydro power generation target fixed by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for 2021-22 which was 3,853 million units. During 2020-21, the total hydro power generation was 4,040 million units and the share of hydro power is 5% of the present total power availability.
3. Hydropower and drought: Department of Water Resources (CDWR), California shut down the 644-MW Edward Hyatt Power Plant—the fourth-largest energy producer of all California’s hydroelectric facilities due to drought conditions.
4. Smart Hydropower tech: There is high demand for new smart control systems, battery-hybrids and variable-speed turbines among other technologies.
5. Small Hydro ally for rural communities: Technology developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) can be used to support smaller, regional hydropower plants that normally wouldn’t have the capability to black start and operate as an islanded grid.
6. Pumped storage batteries: It was US National Hydropower Day on August 24, and hence here are 10 reasons why Water batteries are important like it can fill energy gaps on cloudy and still days, making sure clean energy is still reliable energy.
7. Integration of Battery storage with Hydropower:RWE is developing two large battery energy projects – the Lingen project, 45MW and the Werne project, 72MW. Once complete in 2022, the projects will be virtually coupled with RWE’s run-of-river hydropower stations. By raising or decreasing the flow-through at these power stations, RWE can make additional capacity available, also as balancing energy. This coupling process raises the total capacity of the batteries by 15%, according to a statement. The energy from the batteries will be used to provide frequency regulation within the main grid.