- NEHC is in the hydroelectric business—using modern Archimedes hydro-screws.
- We evaluate, permit, engineer and build.
- We operate and manage. More often than not, we own the operation and sell power.
- We collaborate with cities and towns, private owners, river advocates, sports men and women, permitting authorities, governments.
- We believe in local, sustainable, stable power generation.
- Fish and streambeds, and other wildlife are protectable, and we will preserve and protect them.
- The history and landscape of our rivers can be preserved and we will help to support that mission.
There is no one energy answer.
After generations of burning carbon-based resources, the world is looking to many alternative technologies and additional existing resources to alter that course. It is understood that the energy future will not be a case of "all our eggs in one basket", but a broad array of renewable fuels bolstered by massive conservation efforts to provide our energy.
NEHC's fuel is renewable rain and snow—historically predictable and quantifiable year over year. In looking at the landscape, we saw that thousands of small dams manage and store water as fuel. They have helped to power New England and other rainy states across America for generations, providing power for industry, containment for reservoirs, safety for towns and support for transportation and irrigation systems. Over 50% of dams in New England are situated next to mills, many still productive.
To take advantage of this for modern renewable power, we needed a "machine", and it had to be fish friendly and environmentally sensitive. In the Archimedes hydro-screw, we found a solution. Based on a 2,000-year old idea, modern hydro-screws have pumped water up for a century keeping lowlands dry. For the past ten years, since adding generation equipment to them and allowing water to run down through them in "reverse" in river settings, they have made clean, renewable power in the UK and Europe where they are often considered the small-scale hydropower standard.
NEHC is bringing Archimedes screw generators to North America with a partnership of engineers and manufacturers who have an established and distinguished track record.
COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION
The idea is to understand and align interests
Owners as partners
We cannot build renewable power sources without owners who are good stewards of their property and who really want to engage the idea that their dam sites could benefit them and their communities. That goes for private, state, and municipal owners.
Conversely, we will not be able to develop clean energy sites if we do not understand owner’s goals--for their businesses, their state and their cities and towns.
Our efforts are to find common ground for each individual opportunity to open a conversation once the potential for a site has been evaluated.
Local, state and federal government agencies—working in partnership
From the start of a project, there are many interests, regulatory provisions and oversights for waterways in every state. They vary widely, but in virtually every case, the responsible individuals are willing to listen to a solid proposition from NEHC. They understand the pathway through the process to build a site can be complex, but they are always willing to work toward improving the process. We work proactively with these agencies and with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to accomplish our goals, and theirs, as they manage waterway oversight.
Passion for Waterways—History, Fishing, Paddling, and Modern Work
NEHC works at sites that are often of historical significance. The waterways, dams and mills provided mechanical energy for building the country--nothing short of that. Many generated, and continue to generate, electrical power in more recent times. Others are abandoned and unused. NEHC looks at their potential for modern use on a small scale to generate clean, renewable power. But, we do so with great care. Not all dams are useful and the costs to make them “work” are often too high. The environmental barriers can be too sensitive or the location too valued for other purpose.
The Archimedes screw generator technology is remarkably non-invasive. Their slow rotation, large chambers of water, safe design, and their run-of-river operation are compatible with fish and other wildlife safety as extensive studies have shown in the UK and in the U. S. The sites our partners have developed in the UK are on important salmon rivers, and they have become an integrated part of the river culture.
NEHC and its team members have and are always ready to communicate and develop long-term relationships with river alliances, historical associations, sportsman and their advocacy groups. As with the case of owners, we believe in aligning the interests of these groups and making the best use of natural resources.
If small-scale hydro generation is a partial solution to renewable and clean energy needs, it must also be compatible and in balance with the recreational and historical interests in today’s world.
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