National Hydropower Assoc.
Malcolm Woolf is the CEO of the National Hydropower Association. Connor Nelson is a Regulatory and Market Affairs Specialist.
The energy transition has highlighted the importance of a reliable electric grid as intermittent renewables become a larger part of the energy supply. The National Hydropower Association made clear in a recent report that despite the value of hydropower and its role in balancing the grid, the future of the existing fleet is at risk.
The report, "Hydropower at Risk: How Challenges to America's First Renewable Resource Threaten Grid Reliability and Resilience," points out that not enough has been done to address the challenges that push hydropower and pumped storage operators toward early retirement. Those include an antiquated licensing and relicensing process, lack of federal tax parity with other renewables, and inadequate compensation in wholesale markets.
To understand what has been happening in the hydropower industry, Public Utilities Fortnightly turned to two experts, NHA CEO Malcolm Woolf and NHA Regulatory and Market Affairs Specialist Connor Nelson, also the author of the report. The policy solutions to help an industry around since the 1880s are discussed.
PUF's Steve Mitnick: Talk about this study on hydropower at risk.