WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

Information on the total installed capacity for small
hydropower plants of up to 10 MW is not available for
the United States (table 3). The Federal Government of
Canada has been supporting its small-scale hydro
technologies through Natural Resources Canada
(NRCan). In 2010, there were about 3,400 MW of
small hydropower plants (up to 50 MW), including of
1,049 MW of plants with up to 10 MW.
Table 3
Small hydropower in Northern America
(Megawatts)
Country
Potential
capacity
Installed
capacity
Canada (up to 10 MW) .. 1 049.0
Canada (up to 50 MW) 15 000 3 400.0
Greenland (up to 10 MW) at least 8.7 8.7
USA (up to 10 MW) estimate 8 041 6785.0
Total (up to 10 MW) 9 098.7 7 842.7
Sources:
Natural Resources Canada 3 , Greenland Development Inc 2 ,
International Journal on Hydropower and Dams 5 , adapted from
National Hydropower Asset Assessment Program 8
Note: Canada’s small hydropower potential is gross and does not
include potential gained from refurbishment.
There is a large untapped small hydropower potential
in the region, particularly in Canada and the USA.
Information on small hydropower potential, especially
up to 10 MW, was not officially available for the USA
as different hydropower classifications were used. The
total small hydropower potential in Canada is
estimated at 15,000 MW (for plants up to 50 MW);
however, under the current available technologies and
socio-economic conditions, only about 15 per cent is
likely to be developed. The installed small hydropower
capacity is expected to double from 3,400 to 7,700
MW by the year 2050. Furthermore, there is
additional room for refurbishment of small and
medium hydropower plants, which could add
additional 1,000 MW. Growth areas can be found in
areas around existing water-control dams across the
country and in the North, where off-grid locations and
First Nation communities depend on expensive diesel
based electricity generation. ii
In Greenland, the potential for small hydropower is
unknown. There is no main grid due to the large
distances and many small and dispersed settlements.
Small hydropower would be an adequate technology
for isolated operations in Greenland, in conjunction
with other energy sources. 5 However, more
micro-scale hydropower plants are expected to be
commissioned in the future.
As most of the larger, more traditional hydropower
resources have already been developed in the USA, a
clean energy rationale for development of small and
low-head hydropower resources exist. 10 A recent study
identified a 15,140 MW potential capacity in the range
207
of 1-50 MW in the Northwest region of the USA alone,
i.e. Idaho, Oregon and Washington state. However,
research on small hydropower potential on existing
water infrastructure has identified 397 non-powered
dams, each of which has a potential capacity between
1 and 10 MW, with a total of 1,306 MW. 8 Another
resource assessment identified 65 sites with a total
potential capacity of about 170 MW among existing
non-powered dams that are owned by the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation. 11 These assessments probably overlap
in parts.
Notes
i. Non-powered dams are dams that do not produce
electricity.
ii. First Nation is a term that came into common usage
in the 1970s to replace the word ‘Indian’ in Canada.
Although the term First Nation is widely used, no legal
definition of it exists.
References
1. Stéphane Bordeleau (2011). How it works - Where
Canada's surplus energy goes, CBC News, 30 March
2011. Available from
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/03/17/f-power-2
020-provincial-energy-export.html.
2. Greenland Development Inc. (2011). Hydropower in
Greenland.. Available from
www.aluminium.gl/en/hydropower-aluminium/hydro
power-potentials-project/hydroelectric-power-potenti
als-greenland/hydropow.
3. Huang J.X. (2012). Natural Resources Canada.
Survey by International Center on Small Hydro Power,
November 2012.
4. Statistics Canada (2010). CANSIM Database annual
data for 2010. Available from
www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a33?RT=TABLE&themeID
=1744&spMode=tables&lang=eng.
5. International Journal on Hydropower and Dams
(2011). World Atlas and Industry Guide 2011. Surrey:
Aqua-Media International
6. U.S. Energy Information Administration (2012).
Electricity generating capacity. Available from
www.eia.gov/electricity/capacity/.
7. U.S. Department of Energy (2011). Wind and Water
Program Factsheet. Washington D.C.
8. National Hydropower Asset Assessment Program
(2011). List of U.S. Hydropower Potential from Existing
Non-powered Dams (greater than 1MW) of Financial
Year 2011. Available from http://nhaap.ornl.gov/.
9. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2012). An
Assessment of Energy Potential at Non-Powered Dams
in the United States Report. . Oak Ridge, Tennessee:
U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Water Power
Program
10. Campbell, J. (2010). Small Hydro and Low-Head
Hydro Power Technologies and Prospects, March.
Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service,