Vermont Community Development Association

March 14, 2007

Hydro-electric in your community

The Cutting Edge

Hydro was the economic

backbone of Vermont

over 2000 mills:

saw millsgrist mills

woolen millsbobbin mills

fishing pole millssmall industry

45 Towns own 107 dams

• Barnet

• Barre

• Bennington

• Brandon

• Brattleboro

• Chester

• Danville

• Enosburg

• Essex

• Fair Haven

• Franklin

• Glover

• Hardwick

• Newbury• Newport• Northfield• Norwich• Pittsford• Plainfield• Pownal• Proctor• Readsboro• Richford• Rutland• South

Royalton

•Hartford

•Londonderry

• Ludlow

• Lyndonville

• Marlboro

• Middlebury

• Middletown Springs

• Milton

• Montpelier

• Morrisville

• Springfield

• St. Albans

• St. Johnsbury

• Swanton

• Thetford

• Vergennes

• Washington

• Whitingham

• Windsor

• Winooski

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30 0 30 60 Miles

N

EW

S

Vermont Dams-VCGIState owns 85 of ~1200 damsActive Hydroelectric Sites-ANR map

Hydropower could be revenue source

One state-owned dam

produces power

1,200 sites >300 MW installed capacityDept. of Energy, 2006

How Hydro Works

Spinning Turbine transfers power for either mechanical use –mills- or power-hydroelectric

How Hydro Works

Determine the PotentialNeed to know head and flow!

Flow (gpm) x Head (ft)/10=Power ( continuous watts)

500 gpm x 50 ft/10 = 2500 watts or 2.5 kW

(ballpark!)

Costs

Water to Wire package $850 - $1,100 kW.Approximate all installation costs $1500 -

$2,500 KW(per Mike Scarzello, CVPS).Smaller systems can be much more

expensive per kW. Typically $4,000 a KW or more.

The big cost is permitting and protection mitigation and enhancement.

Only renewable with extensive regulatory

requirements:FERC license or exemption need OK from: Vt. Dept. of Environmental Conservation – Dam

Safety, Water Quality Division,Hydrology, Wetlands, Lakes, River Management;

Vt. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife - Fisheries, Wildlife, Non-game and natural heritage;

Vt. Division for Historic Preservation (SHPO); Vt.Public Service Board; &. Vt. Dept. of Public Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;

Permitting Costs-can double cost of small

projects

From FERC-2001 Report on Hydroelectric Licensing Policies, Procedures and Regulations Comprehensive Review and Recommendations Pursuant to Section 603 of the Energy Act of 2000

(protection, mitigation and enhancement)

Legislation Required:State level:

H 70

Hydro will not happen without a revised H70

that provides a simple, predictable

process for a:

1) Certificate of Public Good for In-State

Renewables

2) 401 Water Quality Certificate

Legislation Required:Federal level

Federal change to put a floor in FERC (500 KW –1 MW).

Simplify Conduit Exemption for municipalities

Currently 2 KW or 200 MW is same process with FERC.

What does Undeveloped Hydro look like in

Vermont?

• Flood Control• Recreation• Fish and Wildlife• Water Supply• Hydroelectric• Historic Mill Dams

Manchester

Fair Haven – 170 KW

Londonderry –70 KW

Bridge

Dam provides grade control

Plainfield –124 KW

Project may reduce municipal tax rate by 5 – 10%

Diversion: near natural falls or using natural

gradient –Twinfield School

A diversion project will provide all the power for the school -$60,000 annually.

Crystal Lake 200 KW

Water Supply Dams-Barre

58 KW

Muncipal Water and

Wastewater Treatment.Heating and

Cooling Systems in Buildings.

Energy Recovery within existing conduits:

First Steps• Identify potential resource (my website has

links to DOE sites). Get copy of report from Department of Public Service on Undeveloped Hydro Potential in Vermont.

• Preliminary Site Assessment –partnership with community-no site visits, you do the footwork ($1,000 applied to feasibility study).

• Feasibility study (partial engineering, economics, technology, hydrology)

Resources

European Small Hydro Association www.esha.be

Other web siteshttp://www.microhydropower.net/

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/

windandhydro/

Lori BargCommunity Hydro113 Bartlett Road

Plainfield, Vermont 05667802-454-8458

lori@communityhydro.biz

“This white coal from hydro-electric development, free from smoke, soot and cinders….are today producing power sufficient to displace the use of a million tons of black coal annually, and this power can readily be distributed to every small and large town ……and thus revive the hundreds of small factories, which were formerly the hives of industry in so many of our small villages…Again how differently, financially, for our people and state, if this $5,000,000 now paid annually to the coal producers of Pennsylvania and Ohio should be produced and kept within our borders.”

Vermont Governor John A. Mead - 1912

www.communityhydro.biz