Hydropower
Hydropower is created by running water from a reservoir through a hydraulic turbine that spins and drives a generator shaft to create electricity. The distance between the water’s sources to its outflow (called the “head”) is a major factor when determining a site’s potential for hydroelectric generation. The greater the elevation change, the greater the potential for power generation. Hydropower facilities are very useful for managing peak load and for power regulation purposes (keeping supply and demand in balance), as well as restoring the grid after a blackout.
According to a 2005 inventory done by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, there are sixty-two operating hydropower facilities in Colorado. These have a combined installed capacity of approximately 1,162 megawatts and produce about 1,036 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. These plants range in size from 5 kilowatts to 300 megawatts and include three pumped storage facilities.
Pumped Hydro Storage
Similar to hydropower, “pumped hydro storage” uses off-peak power to pump water uphill into a reservoir, thus making it available for generation during peak hours. This is one of the few forms of electricity storage available to utilities.
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