As reported by M. M. Tirion
Dani and I went to Cactus Grill and asked to be seated on the outdoor, riverside deck. I enjoy this sunny spot, sheltered from the street and with views of the waterfalls on either side of Fall Island. We also glimpsed the remarkable view in the photo: a powerline that simply ends. Or starts. In fact, this powerline post is connected to the structure that houses Potsdam’s East Dam hydroelectric facility, and the powerline introduces power onto NY’s electric grid! Inside this unpretentious brick building are housed two turbines that turn as riverwater cascades past, spinning a coil inside a magnet to generate electricity! The electricity thus generated is fed into the power grid via those cables in the photo!
Initially constructed in 1926 with a single turbine, Potsdam’s hydrodam produced around 150 kW for 45 years before being retired in 1971. But interest in environmentally-friendly hydropower grew after the 1973 oil crisis, and in 1976 the VoP contracted with an engineering firm to reactivate the dormant hydroelectric facility. After 7 years of testing, design and construction efforts, the old east-dam powerhouse, completely renovated and upgraded, started generating up to 800 kW, and did so for over 30 years. The revenue generated by the sale of electricity offset operating costs for street lighting, the water treatment plant, the waste water treatment plant, the civic center and the Pine St. arena.
But in mid-2014 the gearbox serving one turbine failed and in early 2015 the gearbox serving the second unit failed as well. Once funding sources for repairs were identified, the VoP reached out to NY’s illustrious New York Power Authority for guidance. Having financed and supervised the construction of some of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world, namely the Edward Moses Saunders Power Dam and the Niagara Mohawk Power Dam, no higher authority would seem to exist to help Potsdam repair its aging and ailing hydrofacility.
NYPA’s engineers worked with engineering firm, HATCH, to study and develop design specifications. HATCH in turn provided two contractors, Eaton and Hydrotech, with plans. They in turn subcontracted with Bancroft Mechanics and S&L Electric to refurbish and bring to operation the East Hydrodam powerhouse. With so much expertise, what could go wrong?
Repairs were slated to begin January 27, 2020 and expected to conclude by July 17, 2020. Then Covid struck, wreaking havoc with shipping and construction efforts. Repairs concluded in June of 2021, when the East Powerdam came back online, generating power again after a 7 year hiatus. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that all was not as hoped.
During tests, it became apparent that the turbines oversped during power outages. How to remedy that problem was not part of the $4 million contract with NYPA, so instead they placed a lock on the turbines to prevent them from spinning faster than 44% of their maximum rated rotational speeds. Energy production halved, as did the village’s revenue stream from this hydro facility, while our debt payments on the loan to cover NYPA’s work ballooned. It’s a frustrating situation. Discussions are ongoing to develop an economical means of rapidly quenching the rotor spins during blackouts.
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