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Hydropower Projects
Frequently-Asked Questions
Who is Symbiotics?
How can a pumped storage project be considered clean or non-carbon when it uses excess electricity from coal fired powerplants?
Why should the citizens of Utah support a new energy project that appears to only have some of the components of a new renewable project and relies partially on coal based energy, when the direction we want to head in is one in which we depend more on actual renewable forms of energy?
Where can I find independent information about Utah’s need for additional peak energy?
How can I get involved in this Licensing Process (LP)?
Who is Symbiotics?
- Symbiotics is a Utah-based energy development company that combines the resources and expertise of Ecosystems Research Institute (ERI) and Northwest Power Services (NWPS). Both firms have over 30 years experience in the fields of environmental consulting and hydroelectric development. Since 1975 they have provided consultation for over 250 environmentally sensitive projects and assisted in the licensing of 19 hydroelectric facilities. Symbiotics currently operates four hydroelectric plants for third party owners.
- Symbiotics' Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Vince Lamarra, has a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, where he specialized in ecology, behavioral biology, limnology, and fisheries science. He has over 30 years experience as a consulting scientist for energy projects throughout North America. In addition, he served for over 20 years as the principal scientist for the Bear Lake Preservation Project where he was responsible for water quality monitoring, stream and riparian restoration projects, and watershed management consultation.
- Symbiotics' Chief Operations Officer (COO), Brent Smith, has over 30 years of hydroelectric development consulting and operational experience in the United States and Central America. His expertise includes project design, site evaluation, permitting, contract negotiations, construction, and low impact certification.
- Symbiotics' Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Dr. Robert Klein, has a Ph.D. in economics from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is the former Group Energy Risk Director for Scottish Power and served as PacifiCorp's Senior Vice President of Commercial Trading. Dr. Klein has 38 years of experience in the energy industry.
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How can a pumped-storage project be considered clean or non-carbon when it uses excess electricity from coal fired powerplants?
- Pumped Storage replaces needed on-peak energy that would otherwise be provided by additional carbon-based generation. Almost 90% of Utah's electricity comes from coal fired power plants and a pumped storage project would eliminate the need for a new greenhouse gas emitting pollution source for on-peak energy in our region.
- On-peak energy is electricity generated and sold during the high demand 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. hours, Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. On-peak hours are when residential and commercial demand competes directly with industrial demand and utilities become short on generation capacity. By effectively and efficiently shifting current production to meet demand, the Hook Canyon pumped storage project would avoid increasing regional power generation that relies on fossil fuels and emits green house gases.
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Why should the citizens of Utah support a new energy project that appears to only have some of the components of a new renewable project and relies partially on coal based energy, when the direction we want to head in is one in which we depend more on actual renewable forms of energy?
- How do we get from here to there, “here” being where almost 90% of the state’s electricity comes from coal fired powered plants, “there” being a sustainable future with a heavy emphasis on a variety of forms of renewable energy.
- This future will need to be based on sound energy policy that balances reliability, environmental stewardship, and affordability to consumers. Currently most forms of renewable energy cannot fulfill Utah’s peak energy demands or provide the appropriate balance of reliability, environmental stewardship and affordability that Utah’s working families demand.
- Utah’s electricity is based on a legacy of coal mining and coal fired power plants. Ninety percent of electricity generated in Utah came from coal fired power plants in 2006. Although coal provides an inexpensive and reliable source of power, it cannot efficiently meet daily fluctuations in power demands. Traditional sources of peaking power generation include hydropower and natural gas generation.
- As Hydropower provides less than 2% of Utah’s electricity, Utahns have relied on new natural gas generation to meet growing peak demand. The contribution of Natural Gas has doubled between 2006 and 2007 and now provides 15% of Utah’s electricity and our reliance on coal has dropped correspondingly.
- Although peaking generation meets peak demand, energy storage can do so more efficiently by taking advantage of unused base load power. Pumped storage hydropower is the most widely used form of energy storage technology and can effectively store large quantities of power that can be drawn on quickly and reliably as needed. Pumped storage hydropower stores excess base load power in the form of potential energy by pumping water uphill and generating power form the storage when needed.
- Other forms of renewable energy, including both wind and solar, will be important components in Utah’s growing renewable energy portfolio. However, these types of renewable projects cannot reliably provide on-demand electricity in the manner that hydroelectric or carbon-based generation can. Looking to the future, Pumped Storage will bridge the gap between reliable coal and the further development of sustainable renewable energy sources by providing a storage mechanism for intermittent solar or wind generation in Utah.
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Where can I find independent information about Utah’s need for additional peak energy?
- The Utah Foundation, a nonprofit, non-advocacy research organization, recently published a report about the growing demand for peak energy along the Wasatch Front. You can download a free copy of the report at: http://www.utahfoundation.org/pdf2/rr663summary.pdf.
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How can I get involved in this Licensing Process (LP)?
- The LP provides opportunities for public input during every step of the process. Specific information on public participation in can be found on the FERC website at:
http://www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/get-involved.asp.
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