Low-Impact, Small-Hydro Coming to Lock 47, Hugh Moore Park, Easton, PA

Speakers: Chris Conover, Chief Marketing Officer, and Jeff Mobed, Director of USA Engineering and Program Management, New England Hydropower Company

The Industrial Revolution left us a legacy of mills, canals, and dams where the power of water once gave muscle to manufacturing and the movement of materials and goods. Now, new, low-impact, fish friendly Archimedes Screw Turbine (AST) technology is creating opportunity to repurpose this ideal waterway infrastructure and use it for small scale hydropower. Lock 47 of the Delaware Canal system in Hugh Park in Easton is proving to be an excellent local example of using legacy infrastructure with new AST technology for clean electricity generation. This talk will give us a chance to hear all about it first hand from the project developer New England Hydropower.

With some 54,000 unpowered dams across the United States, those areas of great precipitation with known flows and existing good condition dams and canals offer the potential for renewable, non-invasive, small hydro power development. The hurdles, however, are substantial with arduous permitting, land ownership issues, historical preservation, water quality, species protection, recreation, fish passage, and many other concerns.

The value of these systems lies in the consistent ability to generate power, day and night, through the knowledge of correct sizing of the systems relative to the flows. With high utilization capacity, above both wind and solar in the Northeast and other areas, small hydro offers a “slice” of the renewable energy pie towards a carbon reduced society.

This talk will focus on the technology, methodology, site research, hurdles and public benefits using Hugh Moore Park’s Lock 47 and an existing AST site at Meriden, CT, which has recently received Low Impact Hydro Institute (LIHI) certification, as examples.

MAREA is delighted to have Chris Conover and Jeff Mobed from New England Hydropower present to us on Tuesday, February 25, at 7:00 at TEKPark (9999 Hamilton Boulevard, Breinigsville, PA 18031, between Kutztown and Allentown). We’ve waited a long time for a local small scale hydropower talk and expect a flood of good questions!

MAREA meetings are free and open to the public. All are invited! After the meeting, please plan to stick around and chat with friends old and new. Light snacks will be served. Hope to see you there.

For first-timers, please see TEK Park Directions (https://themarea.org/tek-park-directions/) for map and parking directions. Signs for parking are posted about 30-min before event starts. Any questions, call (484) 646-3295. Welcome!

Speakers:

Chris Conover, Chief Marketing Officer, oversees communications, public affairs and brand for the company. He is the primary relationship interface between NEHC and all constituents and is responsible for the company’s position in the marketplace. He has served in energy, aerospace, information systems, medical device, and insurance industries in senior positions at the New York Power Authority, United Technologies Corporation, LEXIS/NEXIS, Philips Medical Systems, and Travelers. He has degrees from the University of Denver and University College, Dublin, Ireland.

Jeff Mobed, USA Director of Engineering and Program Management, oversees US engineering and program management for New England Hydropower contractors. He is a mechanical engineer with extensive experience in food and beverage manufacturing, steam plant engineering, design of large industrial systems, and medical device and information system implementations in hospitals. Jeff was an active duty Naval Flight Officer before entering the Navy Reserve and was a war planner specializing in North Korea and the far east. He was the Navy’s representative to the Multi-National Force in Iraq before retiring with the rank of Captain. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He holds FINRA series 7 and series 66 certifications.