--- title: "Can Water, the key component of the West's largest renewable energy source, survive Drought?" description: "Hydropower's position as the foundation of the electrical grid is dwindling." author: "Muskan Singh" published: 2022-10-26 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2206/can-water-the-key-component-of-the-west-s-largest-renewable-energy-source-survive-drought category: "science" tags: ["technology", "news", "technology news", "science and technology", "research"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # Can Water, the key component of the West's largest renewable energy source, survive Drought? It seems as though [**hydropower**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2001/why-open-science-is-the-future) is becoming less dependable as a result of reports of **low water levels at a few significant hydroelectric plants in the West over the past few years.** The Edward Hyatt Powerplant in California had to be shut down last summer because water levels in Lake Oroville, the [**reservoir**](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2077/how-to-get-a-crying-baby-to-sleep-according-to-science) that supplies the plant, fell below the intake pipes that carry water to the turbines. **Water levels in Lake Powell, the reservoir that feeds the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona, fell to unprecedented lows in March, prompting warnings of a potential plant closure in the near future.** These reports are concerning since hydropower—which may supply 30% of the West's yearly electricity needs in a wet year—is a significant source of carbon-free energy. However, a recent [investigation](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2149/twitter-claims-in-court-that-elon-musk-is-the-subject-of-government-investigations) by researchers at the [Pacific Northwest](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/39911/a-conflict-between-the-us-and-the-united-kingdom-in-1859-in-the-pacific-northwest-us-almost-resulted-in-a-shooting-war-this-conflict-started-over-what) National Laboratory calls into question the notion that hydropower's [position as](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/62160/according-to-the-henley-passport-index-india-ranks-which-position-as-the-world-s-most-travel-friendly-passport) the foundation of the electrical grid is dwindling. **The scientists examined the historical record to determine how droughts in the 20th and 21st centuries had an impact on the western hydropower fleet.** What they discovered demonstrates that hydropower is more dependable than people may realise, even during a severe drought, and that reality is more complex than people may realise. According to Sean Turner, a hydrologist and [water resources](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/39237/which-city-is-hosting-the-regional-conference-of-southern-states-on-water-resources) engineer who is also one of the study's authors, '**I think the misperception about hydro is driven by these headline cases like Glen Canyon and the [Hoover Dam](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/30437/where-is-hoover-dam-and-how-many-turbines-are-there) on the [Colorado River](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/32670/the-colorado-river-created-which-us-tourist-attraction).'** 'Those are incredibly large and important facilities, but they only make up a tiny portion of the entire Western hydropower fleet, which includes hundreds of plants spread out across the entire western region and contributes to a connected electricity grid. You must research the entire system. **The Western hydropower fleet maintained 80% of its average annual output even through the worst droughts of the [past 20 years](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/36425/what-are-some-of-the-greatest-world-leaders-in-the-past-20-years), which is equivalent to the combined output of all other [renewable energy](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/1543/countries-leading-the-charge-on-renewable-energy) sources in the region.** The fact that there is climate diversity despite the West's well-known climate volatility is the reason you obtain this dependability. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2206/can-water-the-key-component-of-the-west-s-largest-renewable-energy-source-survive-drought Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.