Water systems in California have large untapped potential to recapture energy with in-conduit hydroelectric generation. Despite the promise of a high in-conduit hydropower market through a number of incentives over the past decade, the actual development of projects is below its potential mainly due to lack of knowledge in many critical aspects of in-conduit hydropower project life cycles. This project developed a guidebook and a business-case assessment tool that can assist various water purveyors with cost-effective implementation of in-conduit hydropower projects, specifically through the review of conventional and emerging turbine technologies, potential sites for project implementation, current regulatory and permitting requirements, interconnection processes, project financial viability assessments, and the design and performance monitoring of in-conduit hydropower systems.
In addition to providing a guidebook and a business case assessment tool, this report provides an update on the assessment of in-conduit hydropower potential in California based on the analysis of multiple data sources from the United States Geological Survey, State Water Resources Control Board Data, and California Department of Water Resources. The assessment estimates that 414 megawatts of maximum untapped in-conduit hydropower potential are available in California.
