Abstract |
Research was made to determine economic cost of hydropower benefits lost due to alteration of river flows to achieve quality objectives and examination of the value of capacity and energy of the Wisconsin River hydropower plants. The methodlogy in measuring hydropower value was based on the least costly alternative of supplying equivalent electrical energy and capacity, within the context of the over-all electricity generating system relying primarily on thermal generation and composed of both public utilities and industries generating power for their specific use. A computer simulated operational model used general hydropower production function and regression equations to estimate the production functions of the system's 26 hydropower plants. Models representing electricity production for the component electric utility systems were based on projections of peak energy demands and total energy demands per month, and projected generation station additions and retirement for the 1970-1990 period. The conclusion is that 1/2 of the hydropower plants were uneconomic producers of electricity due to smaller size, age, and high operational and maintenance costs. However, hydropower is an economical source of electricity for pulp and paper mills when compared to the alternative of purchasing energy. This study is particularly relevant to the Wisconsin River. (WRSIC abstract) |