Hydro and Pumped Storage for the Future

By Kris Polly

In our cover story this month, we interview Jairo Florez of the New York Power Authority (NYPA). As NYPA’s regional manager and senior vice president for Western New York, home to the 2.6‑gigawatt Niagara Power Plant, Mr. Florez is deeply involved with hydropower, and in our conversation, he highlights rehabilitations, innovation, and the “pivotal role” that hydro will play in New York State’s move toward emissions-free generation.

Next, we turn to the other side of the globe, where Alinta Energy is spearheading a new 900‑megawatt pumped storage project in New South Wales, Australia. Anthony Wiseman, Alinta’s project director for the Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Project, explains the planned project’s significance and brings us up to speed on current progress.

Then, we interview Ryan Edmonds of Thordon Bearings, a major supplier of water-lubricated bearings. Mr. Edmonds explains the technology’s benefits and makes his case for why every hydro operator should consider using water-lubricated bearings.

We also interview Charlie Young, a vice president at Bridge Diagnostics Inc. (BDI), which provides a wide range of innovative monitoring and testing services for hydropower facilities. Using rope access, drones, wallclimbing robots, and more, BDI personnel perform specialized inspections that are crucial for dam safety.

After that, we turn to CorPower Ocean, a Swedish wave energy company that has developed ocean-based units that are robust enough to survive major storms and efficient enough to compete with established energy sources. CorPower can currently design, deliver, and maintain turnkey systems for clients. In the future, CEO Patrik Möller tells us, he expects wave energy to outstrip nuclear and conventional hydropower globally.

Finally, we speak with Matthew Grosso, the head of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office, about the United States’ cooperation with Norway in hydro R&D. The two nations have worked together to analyze market drivers and hydropower’s value; conduct environmental research; and promote technologies, such as marine energy and pumped storage, that will be critical for the grid of the future.

As the supply and demand of electrical power change rapidly and policymakers attempt to envision the grid of the future, one thing is becoming clear: Hydropower and pumped storage will play a key role in enabling the expansion of renewables, ensuring grid stability, and underpinning electrification. This month’s stories provide a number of angles on this important development.

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.