What We Do

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's not a case of "all our eggs in one basket” but an array of renewable fuels bolstered by massive conservation efforts to secure a sustainable future.

Water is our fuel

NEHC's fuel is renewable rain and snow—predictable and quantifiable year over year, we study flows and floods over short-and long-terms to determine the viability of a given site. 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 many other 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.

Based on a 2,000-year old idea

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 Screw Turbine, we found a solution. Based on a 2,000-year old idea, modern versions have pumped water up for a century keeping lowlands dry. For over a decade, since adding generation equipment to them and allowing water to run down through them in "reverse", they have made clean, renewable power.
NEHC has brought ASTs to the United States through a partnership of engineers and manufacturers in the UK and Europe where over 300 machines generate power.

Lifting Archimedes Screw Turbine into place with NEHC signage

Built on 2 Ideas,
Natural and Historical

Natural

1

We use the natural flow of
water as fuel

New England Hydropower uses the natural flow of water as fuel

New England has nearly 50 inches of precipitation each year, other regions have equivalent amounts of precipitation as well.
We don’t take water out of the waterways. Our systems are run-of-river systems meaning the same volume of water that passes into the AST comes out at the bottom. Canal systems sustain a constant volume and controllable flow. And, because screw turbines rotate slowly, they create little turbulence at the exit of any waterway.
We know which waterways work for us and which will not. Flows are generally predictable. The records for waterways and gauges of flow are reliable and accurate. We study sites and engineer our systems to optimize each site so that we can predict the value of the energy.

‍

Historical

2

Dams and canals were sited very intelligently by our forefathers

There are mills and dams together, and there are dams alone—thousands in the region, tens of thousands across the United States

Dams were sited very intelligently by our forefathers. They could read rivers remarkably well. For us, that is a gift. They underestimated the effects of dams on wildlife and fish, but they created a nation using their knowledge.
Many dams and canals remain valuable assets, protecting towns, providing water and wetlands. Now that the need for clean, renewable power is critical, they can again become a source for energy. NEHC understands that there is a balance between developing power sources and improving and rebuilding habitats for fish and wildlife. Each site has unique characteristics, hazards, risks and potential.
Working with communities and regulators, we will find that balance. We even understand that some dams should be breached for the stability of the water system. We are looking to find the best answers and alternatives for the environment, fisheries and the local culture and history.

‍

Featured Projects

NEHC’s projects span a broad variety of flow conditions, infrastructure and social interests from run-of-river sites in Connecticut and Rhode Island to historic coal barge canals in Pennsylvania.

Search NEHC Website