| Emerging technologies
huge daily swings in solar generation, such as non- sustainable gas peaking plants or shorter-lived battery energy storage systems. Potential environmental impacts of reservoir construction are another significant impediment to the adoption of PSH when impounding a natural waterway. Potential environmental impacts associated with closed-loop PSH can be reduced or avoided if the upper and lower reservoirs are created by constructing fully enclosed dams separate from natural streams or rivers. “The m-Presa system uses strong, long-lived steel
buttress dams to create water impoundments that can store hundreds to thousands of MWhs of energy to supply power during periods of peak demand and provide ancillary services for grid stability,” Wittmeyer says. “A PSH unit using the m-Presa system can be constructed in less than half the time needed for traditional PSH units that use earthen embankment or concrete dams to impound water.”
AI advances
Meanwhile Canada’s Ocean Supercluster has unveiled the HydroAware Project, an initiative aimed at advancing hydropower capabilities while ensuring the conservation of aquatic habitats through AI-powered fish monitoring.
Led by Innovasea in Nova Scotia, the project is a
collaborative effort with the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy, BigMoon Power, Nova Scotia Power, New Brunswick Power Corporation, and DeepSense, and is set to enhance fish tracking technology in challenging marine environments, improving the accessibility of fish tracking insights in remote locations. Hydropower companies often find themselves at the
intersection of energy production and environmental conservation, facing the challenge of minimising the impact on fish populations by their infrastructure while adhering to stringent regulations. The project is expected to bring about crucial advancements in fish tracking technology to address existing challenges such as streamlining approval processes for tidal stream and hydropower projects, reducing regulatory hurdles, and enhancing revenue opportunities within the renewable energy sector. Fish tracking solutions play a pivotal role in
monitoring fish behaviour and the HydroAware Project will usher in a new era for fish by incorporating AI. This will allow hydropower companies to collect more comprehensive data on fish behaviour, and expedite regulatory approvals. Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean
Supercluster, says that AI “has the potential to help transform the way we do ocean business”, adding that the project has brought together partners across different ocean sectors to advance AI in fish tracking technology, manage the movement of fish around hydropower infrastructure, support sustainable growth of the industry and create economic benefits and jobs in the process.
“AI will enable us to monitor fish activity in
environments that were previously too remote or inhospitable, ultimately serving as a catalyst for the next generation of hydro and tidal power facilities,” Mark Jollymore, President of Innovasea, adds. The HydroAware Project builds upon the significant
progress made by Innovasea in tagless fish detection technology, which provides hydropower producers with real-time data on fish activity in and around their infrastructure to achieve the dual mandate of wildlife protection and operational enhancement.
www.waterpowermagazine.com | January 2024 | 23
Above: SwRI’s m-Presa is a new modular steel buttress dam system. Credit: Courtesy of SwRI
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