The National Hydropower Association (NHA) was established to promote the interests of the hydropower sector. Since its formation the principal objective of the Association has been to develop the hydropower industry as a source of renewable and environment-friendly energy.
The National Hydropower Association was incorporated in the year 1983. Since the very beginning, the Association has undertaken several policies to bring the varied North American community of hydropower in coherence. At present, the National Hydropower Association contributes 61% of the total non-federal, domestic hydroelectric production and it stands out to be around 80,000 megawatts of hydroelectric production in North America.
The Association is proud to have over 140 member organizations, which consist of equipment manufacturers, attorneys, public utilities, independent power generators, engineering and environment consultants, utilities owned by investors, and many more.
Operational Framework of National Hydropower Association
NHA operates through some efficient standing committees. It also encourages exchange of opinions among the members regarding different environmental and energy issues. The following standing committees play a major role in the decision-making process and policy initiations of the Association:
» Hydraulic Power Committee
» Committee for Legislative Affairs
» Committee for Public Affairs
» Committee for Regulatory Affairs
» Committee for Research and Development
These committees are made up of the representatives of the member organizations of the Association. These representatives are experienced professionals of the hydropower sector and their recommendations and suggestions prove to be of great use in helping NHA accomplish the initiatives undertaken.
Focus Areas of National Hydropower Association
The focus areas of NHA has always been the promotion of hydropower in different forms including tidal power, wave energy, hydrokinetic power, conventional hydropower, ocean energy, and the like. The Ocean, Tidal and New Technologies Council of the National Hydropower Association has been solely designed for the purpose.
This council coordinates with different standing committees of the association to enhance the growth potentials of the latest technologies. The Ocean, Tidal and New Technologies Council provides the members with a platform to share their views about the diverse challenges that are faced by the water technologies.
The council put stress on the following issues:
» Formation of a database involving crucial regulatory and technological information to be used as information tool for the hydropower industry
» Initiation of new water technologies like Renewable Portfolio Standard, as per the regulations of the clean energy incentive programs
» Giving support to the legislative advocacy in order to ensure the inclusion of technologies like wave technology, ocean technology, in-stream hydrokinetic technologies and the like within the domain of tax incentives like Production Tax Credit
With its innovative policies, the National Hydropower Association has emerged as a prominent association in the hydropower scenario of North America.