Hydrogen from falling water

Over the past years, with ever rising energy costs, the United States has looked at the possibility of harnessing existing untapped dams for energy conversion purposes. However, integration of these facilities into the conventional electric utility systems has not occurred due to technical, economic, and institutional difficulties, the key issues being the seasonal unreliability of water flow, the regulatory status of small operators desiring to sell power, and the possibility of large investments with low rates of return. The present analysis indicates that, in spite of constituting a small fraction of the United States energy demand, this overall 'small hydro' energy resource base should be utilized to its fullest potential.