In late June, Greenberry exhibited in Denver at HydroVision 2017, the world’s largest hydroelectric industry show. The conference and exhibition drew over 3,000 hydropower professionals from all over the world, providing a forum for them to network and exchange viewpoints on the issues and trends currently impacting hydroelectric maintenance and construction, water management and the hydropower marketplace.
We designed our booth to showcase our fabrication and field construction capabilities for hydro clients, focusing on our successful completion of a 92-foot tainter gate for the navigation lock at The Dalles Dam, a 2,100 MW hydro facility on the Columbia River. Our sister company, Olsson Industrial Electric, exhibited in the adjoining booth, which featured a virtual-reality video of The Dalles Dam, where Olsson completed a large-scale update of the facility’s electrical control systems in 2014.
HydroVision proved to be a great success for us. Our executives met with numerous industry leaders and attended presentations on the current need for small hydro facilities, for modernizing existing large hydro projects, and for retrofitting non-power dams with generating plants. We’re excited at the prospect of applying our experience to the renovation of essential infrastructure as the hydroelectric industry experiences something of a rebirth in the evolving power grid of the 21st century.
With over 300 exhibitors in the hall, we had a chance to meet with best-in-class owners, operators, contractors, suppliers and vendors and compare notes about the challenges facing this rapidly changing industry. Along with Olsson, we hosted two social events where we got better acquainted with existing clients and new connections in a casual setting.
The conference sessions covered a broad range of current topics such as pumped storage systems, multi-use projects that combine power generation with recreation and other uses, grid integration and improved fish passage. These lively roundtable discussions gave us an up-close look at the challenges facing hydropower generators and a better sense of how we can position ourselves to meet their structural, mechanical and electrical needs.
We came away from HydroVision 2017 with renewed confidence in our ability to serve hydroelectric clients with our fabrication, construction and field maintenance expertise. We look forward to reconnecting with our industry friends at HydroVision 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
