Skip to content
Mead & Hunt Site Logo
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Career Opportunities
    • Why Work Here?
    • Scholarship Opportunities
Menu
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Career Opportunities
    • Why Work Here?
    • Scholarship Opportunities
Mead & Hunt Site Logo
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Career Opportunities
    • Why Work Here?
    • Scholarship Opportunities
Menu
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers
    • Career Opportunities
    • Why Work Here?
    • Scholarship Opportunities

Celebrate America’s original green energy source on National Hydropower Day

  • August 24, 2021
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
Hydropower Day hydrodam

August 24th is National Hydropower Day. Hydropower has been providing clean electric energy for over 130 years and is America’s original “green” energy source. Our country has more than 83,000 dams that provide a variety of benefits, including flood risk reduction, water supply, navigation, recreation and hydroelectric power. Despite this high number of dams, only about 2,500 generate hydroelectricity—a mere 3 percent of the total. Most of these are more than 40 years old.

The Biden Administration is making a major push for clean, low carbon renewable energy, and this is a key part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Hydropower is one of many ways to advance our national renewable energy goals. While there are many other available means to produce clean renewable energy, including solar, wind, geothermal, marine kinetic, biomass, biofuels, and nuclear power generation, there are limitations to all of these power sources, such as weather variability, dispatchability and waste disposal. Hydropower is proven and reliable; baseload and flexible. Because it can quickly go from zero power to maximum output, it provides essential back-up, especially for variable wind and solar generation, as well as peak­ing power for high-load periods.

Unfortunately, large upfront capital costs and environmental concerns make new dams difficult to permit, finance, and build. Existing dams have already overcome these impediments, and are a viable option for new hydropower. Adding hydro to an existing dam is much more acceptable to the environmental community and regulators, and more practicable for financers and developers. Per the National Hydropower Association (NHA), the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has $125 million to incentivize adding hydropower generation to existing non-powered dams, and $75 million for hydropower efficiency improvements, such as new low-head turbines. Additionally H.R. 4375, the Twenty-First Century Dams Act introduced in the house on July 9th, and its companion S.2386, Twenty-First Century Dams Act, introduced in the Senate on July 15th, provide $25.8 billion for dam safety, enhancing clean energy production and grid resilience and restoring river ecosystems. This legislation has strong bipartisan support and will hopefully be included in the infrastructure funding.

Although there is still of lot of legislative work to do, and several months before we see funding for projects, we are on the cusp of an exciting time for the expansion and revitalization of America’s hydroelectric infrastructure. So let’s celebrate National Hydropower Day and engage representatives at the local, state and federal levels so that the resultant legislation addresses American’s clean energy needs.

Miro Kurka headshot

Miro Kurka, PE, PMP

Miro knows water is an incredible resource. “I like leading teams and managing water infrastructure projects that make our citizens safer, wealthier and happier.” He is the recipient of the 2019 SAME Individual Industry Government Engagement Award. A retired U.S. Army officer, Miro managed the Corps of Engineers’ program in Tulsa, Portland and Afghanistan for 30 years. He enjoys traveling and meeting people.

Linkedin Envelope
PrevPrevious
NextNext

Most Popular

How Mead & Hunt is Leaning into DEIB in Aviation
May 31, 2023
JP Minear Expands Mead & Hunt’s Aviation Team To The East
May 23, 2023
Past, Present, Future: Trends and Airport Interiors
May 18, 2023
Why Should We Preserve Historic Bridges?
May 10, 2023

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Markets
  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
  • Careers
  • Home
  • Markets
  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
  • Careers

Useful Links

  • Ebids
  • Equipment & Parts
  • GSA Schedules Program
  • U.S. Government Contract Vehicles
  • Policy for Third-Party Recruiters
  • Transparency in Coverage
  • Ebids
  • Equipment & Parts
  • GSA Schedules Program
  • U.S. Government Contract Vehicles
  • Policy for Third-Party Recruiters
  • Transparency in Coverage

Get in touch

  • Apply Today
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Title VI
  • Apply Today
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Title VI

Connect with us

Linkedin Facebook Twitter Instagram Vimeo

© 2023 Mead & Hunt, Inc. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy & CCPA Policy
  • Do Not Sell
  • Site Map
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Read full privacy policy
ACCEPTREJECTSETTINGS
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo