Glen Canyon Dam Hydropower Production and Value Status & - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Glen Canyon Dam Hydropower Production and Value Status & Trends, 2019

• S. Clayton Palmer

WAPA/CRSP

Glen Canyon Powerplant

Capacity: 1,320 MW Energy: 3,978 GWhs (10-year average annual)

Status and Trends

Recent variables affecting hydropower metrics

• Recent decrease in power efficiency

[hydropower head = elevation of Lake Powell – elevation of GCD tailrace]

Variation in power efficiency effects electrical generation, capacity & net firming purchases

• Impacts of the Summer, 2018 Bug Flow

Experiment on Hydropower

Hydropower efficiency

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Lake Powell Elevation Affects Power Efficiency:

The efficiency in turning Acre Feet into Megawatt hours

3700 3584

Important Lake Powell Elevations

3584

EOY 19

Min Power

GCD Hydropower Head

From first electrical production 1963 - 2019

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45.00% 55.00% 65.00% 75.00% 85.00% 95.00% 105.00% Dec-63 Apr-65 Aug-66 Dec-67 Apr-69 Aug-70 Dec-71 Apr-73 Aug-74 Dec-75 Apr-77 Aug-78 Dec-79 Apr-81 Aug-82 Dec-83 Apr-85 Aug-86 Dec-87 Apr-89 Aug-90 Dec-91 Apr-93 Aug-94 Dec-95 Apr-97 Aug-98 Dec-99 Apr-01 Aug-02 Dec-03 Apr-05 Aug-06 Dec-07 Apr-09 Aug-10 Dec-11 Apr-13 Aug-14 Dec-15 Apr-17 Aug-18

Jul, 83 Mar, 05 Jul, 11 Jul, 1 Apr, 64 7

% of full power head

GCD Hydropower Head

From the beginning of current drought 1999 - 2019

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75.00% 80.00% 85.00% 90.00% 95.00% 100.00% Apr-99 Oct-99 Apr-00 Oct-00 Apr-01 Oct-01 Apr-02 Oct-02 Apr-03 Oct-03 Apr-04 Oct-04 Apr-05 Oct-05 Apr-06 Oct-06 Apr-07 Oct-07 Apr-08 Oct-08 Apr-09 Oct-09 Apr-10 Oct-10 Apr-11 Oct-11 Apr-12 Oct-12 Apr-13 Oct-13 Apr-14 Oct-14 Apr-15 Oct-15 Apr-16 Oct-16 Apr-17 Oct-17 Apr-18 Oct-18 Apr-19

Jul, 18 % of full power head Mar, 14

GCD Hydropower Head

2014 - 2019

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76.00% 78.00% 80.00% 82.00% 84.00% 86.00% 88.00% 90.00% Mar-14 May-14 Jul-14 Sep-14 Nov-14 Jan-15 Mar-15 May-15 Jul-15 Sep-15 Nov-15 Jan-16 Mar-16 May-16 Jul-16 Sep-16 Nov-16 Jan-17 Mar-17 May-17 Jul-17 Sep-17 Nov-17 Jan-18 Mar-18 May-18 Jul-18 Sep-18 Nov-18 Jan-19 Mar-19 May-19 Jul-19 Sep-19

Mar, 14 Jul, 18 Jul, 19

% of full power head

The E e Effect o

• f

f Pow

• wer E

Effic icie iency on G GCD En Energy Producti tion

Date Lake Powell Elevation

(ft)

Energy production in a 9.0 maf year

(GWh)

Percentage of production vs full powerhead

July, 1983 3,707.40 4,617 101.25% Mar., 2005 3,555.90 3,378 74.09% Jan., 2014 3,578.69 3,575 78.39% Jan., 2018 3,619.38 3,916 85.89% Jul., 2019 3,583.66 3,620 79.98%

Summer, 2018 Macroinvertabrate Experiment

“Bug flow” experiment

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Development of the experiment

• The Bug Flow experiment was developed out of a joint

scientific effort to understand the relationship between load-following flows and the aquatic food base.

• This cooperative study was joined by GCMRC, Reclamation,

WAPA, and Utah State University’s Bug Lab.

• Interest in studying low-volume, steady flows were

implemented during the weekend, when electrical power has less value in favor of moving water to on-peak hours during the week, when additional power production is needed .

• This cooperative effort can serve as a templet of a “Project

N” approach to the development of GCD operational experiments.

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13

Modeling input for the Bugflow Experiment – Summer, 2018

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Illustration of Bug Flows

May, 2018

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0.00 2,000.00 4,000.00 6,000.00 8,000.00 10,000.00 12,000.00 14,000.00 16,000.00

Water relase (cfs) May 2018 Power release (cfs)

Results of the experiment

• The Argonne estimates that the 2018 Bug Flows

had a financial impact of $165,000.

• This dollar amount is relatively small given the

assumptions used in the modeling process.

• The 2018 Bug Flow experiment produced benefits

to hydropower in the months of May and June, and costs to hydropower in July and August. The month

• f June turned out to be of particular benefit to

hydropower.

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Results (cont.)

• These results are a function of the patterning of

water releases.

• Also, the result reflects the differences between

weekday and weekend energy prices. Electrical energy prices are lower, and the weekday/weekend difference is less, in May and June 2018 than they were in July and August 2018.

• To arrive at a positive financial outcome to

hydropower, weekend electricity prices must be substantially lower than weekday prices.

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The import of the difference between weekday and weekend prices

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10 20 30 40 50 60 70 May June July Aug.

Weighted average Energy Price ($/MWh)

Weekend On-Peak Sale Price Weekend On-Peak Purchase Price Weekday Off-Peak Purchase Price

Additional considerations

• The impact of capacity improvements during

weekdays was not included

• This is because capacity is – currently – above required

capacity margins in the WECC region

• A word of caution:
• A different set of weekend/weekday prices would

produce a different result.

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Questions ?