Industry-Wide Innovation 

By Kris Polly

The German company Muhr is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hydromechanical equipment, screens, and trash rack cleaners—and its products are built on a truly impressive scale. Consider the hydraulic trash rack cleaning machine it installed at Muskrat Falls Generating Station in Newfoundland, Canada: It is the world’s largest such device and can clean to a depth of 200 feet. In our interview with CEO Roland Muhr and Head of Hydropower Sales Florian Steiner, we hear more about Muhr’s offerings and its expansion in the North American market. 

Next, we speak with Weston Putman of Umatilla Electric Cooperative, which provides power across 2,000 square miles of eastern Oregon. We discuss the challenges of providing reliable power amid growing demand, the key role that hydropower plays in the clean energy mix, and the importance of considering all sides of the debate over dam breaching. 

Next, we turn to Scotland, where Nova Innovation, the company that installed the world’s first offshore tidal energy array, is forging forward with tidal energy and floating solar projects. In our discussion with John Meagher, Nova’s director of business development, we learn more about these innovative ways to take advantage of the power generation potential of water. 

Then, we learn about a novel technology that could revolutionize the hydropower world. Ronald Eiselstein is the founder of Replenish Waterpower and the inventor of a new hydropower system that uses levers rather than turbines to generate electricity from water. Speaking with Mr. Eiselstein and his colleague Katrina Lyn Belnas, we learn more about this patented technology and its potential. 

Finland-based company Fishheart has developed an effective floating hydraulic fishway system that has been deployed across Europe and has performed well in tests in the United States. Sales and Marketing Director Mika Sohlberg tells us more about the company’s plans to deploy its systems at dams across North America. 

Last, we speak with Sterling Watson, the principal engineer at fish-friendly turbine design firm Natel. In our interview with Ms. Watson, who was recently recognized with the National Hydro Association’s Rising Star award, we hear more about her work and discuss the importance of mentoring and workforce development in the hydropower field. 

Record-breaking machines, offshore tidal turbines, floating solar arrays, lever-based energy converters, hydraulic fishways, and fish-friendly turbines: The hydropower industry is astir with major technological developments. I hope this issue of Hydro Leader helps highlight some of the impressive innovations that are moving our industry forward. 

Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Hydro Leader magazine and the president and CEO of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.