Hydroelectric Power Generation from Reservoirs in Savannah River Basin

Abstract

Hydropower is generated from three reservoirs in the United States Army Corps of Engineers's Savannah District. These reservoirs include J. Strom Thurmond, Richard B. Russell, and Hartwell. Currently, a contract in place specifies that a certain amount of energy must be provided to the region. Analysis of 25 years of operational data has shown that a 90% reliable yield is about 40% less than the current contract. Moreover, the weekly restraints on generation requirements are often set too high as the frequency of meeting the contract amount is only 30% for most months. These inconsistencies result in a cost variation that affects consumers. Statistical analysis of historic energy generation provides procedures to determine a reliable energy yield by observing generation amounts that occur within an acceptable amount of risk. The average reliable amount of energy available 90% of the time was found to be about 15,500 MWh per week for the Savannah Reservoir network.