Water - and Power - Everywhere

Creating clean energy sources can be a difficult process. Sometimes people are so focused on one process or piece of technology that they forget to step back and realize that they can use resources we already have to produce clean energy.

One of the greatest resources we have is the American innovative spirit. By creatively using existing situations and systems, we can retain our competitive edge while helping the planet. The New York Times Green Inc. blog had a story about how one Ohio-based company is using a resource it already has to create new energy: water.

Even though there are 80,000 dams in the United States, only three percent of them are used to generate power. American Municipal Power is retrofitting dams along the Ohio River so that they will produce electricity. When the project is complete, American Municipal Power will be able to supply 350,000 homes with power.

Hydropower is not only clean and renewable. By converting existing facilities, such as dams, into power producers, hydropower shows how we can use our resources better. Earlier this summer, Republican Congressman Doc Hastings spoke on the House floor about hydropower, urging Congress to fund its further use. Democrat Ed Pastor agreed, saying that hydropower will produce reliable and efficient energy for the grid.

This type of innovation is creating new, clean energy by finding new uses for work America has already done. By building on top of extant technology and improving on its uses, American Municipal Power is proving that clean energy can come from many different places, if we’re willing to innovate and work to produce it.

— Matthew Faraci

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