Hydro power is decreasing as climate change hangs the Southwestern US out to dry.

DOUG JOHNSON

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News that Arizona’s Lake Powell is slowly but surely drying up has spread far and wide. The reservoir behind the 1,320-megawatt Glen Canyon Dam and power station, Lake Powell plays an important role in providing power for some 3 million customers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

But this year, the reservoir has hit a historic low, due to ongoing drought conditions in the region that have been attributed, at least in part, to climate change. The dam may even stop producing power if the situation continues to worsen, and this issue is not an isolated one in the American Southwest.

The Colorado River, an important source for many dams and power plants in the region, has been wracked by drought for the past 22 years—some research even suggests that it is subject to the worst drought the area has seen in 1,200 years. Further, according to the US Drought Monitor, as of March 29, 88.75 percent of the Western US has been experiencing a moderate drought or worse. According to staff members at the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), other dams in this be-droughted part of the country are seeing similar effects—though the officials also noted that each case is different.

According to Becki Bryant, the USBR’s Upper Colorado Basin public affairs officer, there are two main factors that impact hydro production. The first is the amount of water that passes through a dam’s generators. The second is the depth of the body of water that feeds the dams. Deeper bodies of water have more force behind the water rushing through and spinning the turbines of a generator.

Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam make up an extreme case in the US. The dam’s minimum power pool (MPP)—the point at which hydropower can no longer be produced at the dam—is around 1,064 meters. Currently, it is sitting at 1,075 meters. Projections suggest that there is a 23 to 27 percent chance of hitting the MPP each year from 2023 to 2026, according to Bryant. Other parts of the Colorado River Basin, which is home to a few other dams, are being impacted by the drought as well. The 22-year drought has decreased the amount of energy produced in the area by 13.1 percent compared to the average annual energy production in the 12 years preceding it (from 1988 to 1999). “It is difficult to predict actual impacts beyond 2023, but this trend is anticipated to continue,” Bryant said…….more here

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