Drought conditions reduce hydropower generation, particularly in the Pacific Northwest
U.S. Energy Information Administration
EIA provides energy statistics and analyses for sound policy making, efficient markets, and public education.
In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), we forecast that electricity generation from U.S. hydropower plants in 2024 will be 13% less than the 10-year average, the least amount of electricity generated from hydropower since 2001. Extreme and exceptional drought conditions have been affecting different parts of the United States, especially the Pacific Northwest, which is home to most U.S. hydropower capacity.
As of the end of September, 72.6% of the continental United States was experiencing dryer-than-normal to exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. By the end of October, this value increased to 87.2%. Multiple regions are affected by drought conditions, but the effects on hydropower generation are more obvious in the Pacific Northwest. For example, a recent study conducted by the University of Alabama found that hydropower generation in Washington state is one of the most susceptible to droughts in the country, ranking right below California based on data from 2003 to 2020.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Basin Outlook Reports, reservoir storage at the end of September was 48% of capacity in Oregon, 67% of capacity in Washington, 76% in Montana, and 60% in Idaho.
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PowerPoint / Business-Support Services from anZ Graphic Services
2 周Insightful
PowerPoint / Business-Support Services from anZ Graphic Services
2 周Interesting
Your statement is fundamentally correct - generation source diversity is essential and can help us reach our goals of resilience, reliability, sustainability, justice and affordability. Yes, all five are necessary for energy to work in the long run, and no they aren’t necessarily in conflict as much as they need to be balanced. The challenge comes in your first three words - “let’s all agree.” I started paying attention to energy in 1979 - I have yet to see the “all” agree to practically anything in the energy space. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon - do you? Balance isn’t really America’s thing these days. So how to proceed? Only thing I can suggest is to let America do what it has, historically, done best - allow competition and market forces, within reasonable restraints, bring technology and creative solutions to bear. Unfortunately utility regulations are too much in the utilities favor in too many places for that to be fully effective. Not to mention that authoritarians thinking tends to favor utilities. So - Good luck with that. I’m done trying to make any sesne of it.
Vice President, Energy, North America
2 周Let’s all agree that energy balance, leaning on all available options and not locking ourselves into one or the other, will deliver our collective resiliency and stop arguing over which power source is the fuel or the future or the cure…all of the above approach sustains our way of life. Contingency power via natural gas or renewable or otherwise is a must.
Golden Creek Management
3 周ENSO harmonics - carry on.