Technology Advancement for Hydropower

Industry Needs Perspective Presented to

US Dept. of Energy 2017 Executive Summit

Hydropower Research and Development May 4, 2017

The Changing Electric Grid

Role of Storage Hydro with Intermittent Renewables

-

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Hydro Dispatch

-

200.00

400.00

600.00

800.00

1,000.00

1,200.00

1,400.00

1,600.00

Wind/Solar Resource Stack Solar Wind Thermal Contract Spokane River Clark Fork River

Plant Regulation

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Voltage Support

235

240

245

250

Cabinet 230 kV Bus Voltage Maximum Limit

Max 230 kV Bus Volts Max Opr Limit

51% of the Time we EXCEED allowed operating Limits

Machine Condition Monitoring

• How do we keep the existing fleet reliable? • Use of Data Analytics

• What devices do we need to develop? • Those plants that cannot afford to put these systems in • Impacts of Operations

• Late 1995 DOE project on Machine Monitoring • Identified Devices – Integration was a challenge • Vendor evolution has continued, but these system view the world from the

specific device perspective • i.e. if high vibration, what are bearing issues?

Starts and Stops

• What are the impacts of frequent Starting and Stopping? • Monitoring Systems? • Horizontal Machines / Vertical Machines? • Pump/Generator Units ?

• Effects of Rapid Start? • What does it cost? • Is there a cyclic life on components?

• i.e. after 20,000 strokes of wicket gates you need to re-bush? Re-bore servo?

Dam Safety Is there a way to “look” under the concrete at depth?

Dam Safety Can I use GPS, or other system to measure deflection of arch structure with seasonal temperature changes?

What can we Borrow from Wind? • Solid Core Stator? • Inverter technology • Gear technology? • More packaged integration of electrical elements?

What can we do to reduce Construction expense?

• Concrete that doesn’t require re-bar? • Printed concrete turbine water passage?

• Provide modular assembly? • More cost effective shipping?

• Standard Environmental Mitigation Methods? • Develop models for mitigation rather than field tests? • TDG Models?

Distributed Control Methods?

• Using Small Hydro on electric distribution feeders • Opportunities to reduce demand, improve feeder function

• Controls to aggregate sources to provide services to grid • Must do calculations nearly instantaneously

• Locational benefits of smaller hydro for utility • This is same type of research as DER, but very different size and geography

Impacts of Future Grid Changes

• Effects of Distributed Resources on traditional resource operation • If DER’s do become prevalent, at what levels might it change the operation of

conventional resources? • What would the operation look like? What would flexibility look like there?

Would more storage be needed? • Effects on present electric distribution feeders? Opportunities?

• Assess impacts of adding more storage • Drought concerns • Grid support concerns