Volume 3 Issue 8 September
August 19, 2022By Kris Polly When most people think of hydropower, they think of dams and turbines. Needless to say, those are important, but there are many other elements—both physical and digital—that go into turning flowing water into electricity. This month, we focus on several of those services, including the provision of computerized control systems, specialty machining, and borescope inspection devices. In our cover story, we speak with Matthew Roberts, the director of renewable projects at Emerson, about how the company helps hydropower clients replace obsolete control systems—some of them purely mechanical—with modern computer-based controls and software solutions. Next, we speak with…
Former Reclamation Commissioner Eluid Martinez: Reflections on the Development of Water Management and Conservation
Eluid Martinez is a longtime water management professional who served as the state engineer of New Mexico from 1990 to 1994 and the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation from 1995 to 2000. Over his half-century in…
Duncan White of ViewTech Borescopes: Advanced Devices for Remote Visual Inspections
Michigan-based ViewTech Borescopes is a leader in remote visual inspection. Its borescopes have a manipulatable probe and video technology that allows facility managers to create an archive of photos and videos to inform decisions about troubleshooting and…
Western Machine Works: Specialized Part Fabrication for the Hydro Industry
Western Machine Works is a Pacific Northwest machine shop that works in the paper, industrial, marine, wind generation, and hydropower markets and specializes in fabricating nonstandard and difficult-to-locate parts. As utilities begin to increase the tempo of…
Mavel’s New Low-Head Hydropower and Flood Control Project in Tass, Hungary
Czech Republic–based Mavel has designed and manufactured turbines and related equipment for hydroelectric power projects around the world, both large and small, but its origins lie in the development of low-head projects, which remain a specialty. In…
Matthew Roberts: Emerson’s Hydropower Software and Automation Solutions
Emerson is a leading technology and software company that helps customers replace obsolete control systems at their hydropower plants with modern computer-based controls and software solutions. The result, says Matthew Roberts, the company’s director of renewable projects,…
What You Should Know About the National Hydropower Association’s Clean Currents 2022 Conference
The National Hydropower Association (NHA) will be holding its industrywide Clean Currents 2022 trade show and conference the week of October 17 in Sacramento, California. Marla Barnes, NHA’s vice president of membership and industry engagement, gives us…
Stuart Cohen of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Analyzing Pumped Hydro’s Role in a Stable Electricity Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office is funding the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create models for pumped hydro storage, an important tool for creating stability on the power grid. The models will…
Paul Meeks: Confronting Supply Chain Challenges at Worthington Products
How are supply chain issues affecting manufacturers who serve the hydro industry? What are companies doing to confront supply chain shortages, transportation delays, and price increases? To get a manufacturer’s perspective, Hydro Leader spoke with Paul Meeks,…
Darren Lampe: How Supply Chain Disruptions Are Affecting a Small Specialty Hydro Construction Company
Darren Lampe is the owner of D.A. Lampe Construction, a small hydro construction company based in Chico, California, that specializes in remote, difficult-access construction and repair projects. While supply chain disruptions have led to rapid and unpredictable…
N. Christian Porse: Managing Risk and Supply-Chain Uncertainty at Mavel
Czech Republic–based Mavel has designed and manufactured turbines and provided related equipment for hydroelectric power projects in 45 countries since 1990 with capacity ranging from 30 kilowatts to 30 megawatts. Hydro Leader spoke with U.S. Regional Sales…
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