FirstLight applauds National Hydropower Association’s “Uncommon Dialogue” environmental initiative
Earlier this month, the National Hydropower Association, of which FirstLight is a longstanding and proud member, announced a “Joint Statement of Collaboration on U.S. Hydropower: Climate Solution and Conservation Challenge” developed in collaboration with American Rivers, the World Wildlife Fund, and other environmental and river organizations.
The statement represented the culmination of 2 ½ years of discussions about how to best align the renewable energy and storage benefits of hydropower with the environmental and economic benefits of healthy rivers.
As FirstLight, NHA, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, and so many environmental groups recognize, continued use of hydropower will be critical to “deep decarbonization” of the New England and U.S. power grids– whether from dams along rivers like the Connecticut and Housatonic, or from “pumped storage” hydro facilities like Northfield Mountain, known as New England’s biggest and greenest battery. FirstLight is proud to be part of a U.S. industry that provides more than 100,000 megawatts’ worth of carbon-free, flexible, reliable, and affordable electric generation capacity.
The Joint Statement represents a commitment by the hydropower sector and environmental groups to continue to enhance dam and reservoir operations, maximize the use of existing dams to increase power generation without building new facilities, and accelerate technologies and practices that improve hydropower’s efficiency, environmental performance, and ability to support integration of more wind and solar power into the grid.
FirstLight applauds the Joint Statement, and we’re excited to continue down the path it has opened. Now more than ever, FirstLgiht is committed to providing safe and affordable energy solutions leading to a cleaner, more reliable energy future, promoting a greener environment in our communities, and leading our industry in providing innovative, environmentally friendly energy solutions.