WYOMING — Hydropower is central to the efficiency, reliability and affordability of Lower Valley Energy (LVE)’s electricity. Without our access to hydroelectric power, we would be unable to deliver what is among some of the cheapest energy in the United States. An estimated 85% of LVE’s energy comes from hydropower.
In addition to being the community’s energy cooperative, LVE believes that educating members is crucial. LVE relies on its members to make informed decisions and voice their concerns to determine the direction of the cooperative. Please reach out with any questions or to seek more information.
How does hydropower work?
Dams harness the power of river water flowing downstream. Conceptually, they’re actually pretty simple.
When a dam is built, it creates a man-made reservoir. This reservoir functions a little like a battery. Dam operators can control the flow of water through the dam. When the water flows through the dam, it flows down through the dam to a turbine. When the water passes through the turbine, the turbine spins and in turn powers a generator. The energy produced is then distributed to various users.
Due to the nature of the reservoir, dam operators can increase and decrease the flow of water through the dam based on the amount of demand at any given time. This is vastly different from other renewable energy sources, as wind cannot be stored for later use and battery technology doesn’t allow users to store solar energy sufficiently.
Hydropower is an extremely reliable carbon-free source of renewable energy that complements other renewable energies.
Benefits of hydropower
In addition to being a cheaper carbon-free energy source, hydro has attracted many large businesses to the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, dams help decrease the likelihood of flooding along the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Finally, by allocating runoff from the Columbia River, an additional 7.8 million acres of land have been made farmable in the United States.
The impacts and benefits of the hydropower infrastructure in which LVE takes part aren’t limited to the community — these effects stretch across the entire country. With climate change and water access issues on the horizon, hydropower is poised to be a critical piece of the puzzle.
Dams under threat
Recently, the dams along the Snake River have been a focal point of discussion for the Biden administration. In late 2023, the Biden administration proposed breaching these dams for environmental reasons. While Congress would need to approve this in order for changes to take effect, the breaching of the four dams along the Snake River could stand to raise wholesale electricity costs for LVE cooperative members by as much as 40%. It may be preemptive to breach these dams without a source of energy to replace the energy vacuum removing these dams will create.
Ultimately, this community is built on hydropower. With access to the cheap and reliable electricity that hydropower has provided, the communities within LVE’s service area have prospered. We cannot make a seamless transition away from hydropower without first creating a comprehensive plan and building a robust electrical supply network to compensate for the deficit caused by offlining hydropower facilities.
While LVE respects the goals and intentions of the Biden administration, LVE must account for the needs of the cooperative members. Currently, hydropower is a key component of how LVE delivers its members some of the cheapest electricity in the nation reliably year over year.
Learn more about LVE’s use of hydropower here.
