Atmospheric Research and Water Management, Australia – Snowy Hydro Ltd. (2004-2005)

Capacity Building for Atmospheric Research and Water Management

Snowy Hydro, Ltd. is a hydro-generation production group that was interested in optimising generation.  Since hydro-generation is directly tied to meteorology, knowledge of atmospheric processes was extremely important for the planning and scheduling of reservoir operations.  The main effort was for the development of precipitation enhancement program through cloud seeding.

My role in this project was to direct science and technology advancements.  This was primarily done through technology transfer from the United States.  Snowy Hydro employees were training on how to conduct cloud seeding experiments including opportunity recognition, cloud seeding application, data collection, and assessment.  I was directly involved in hiring the proper scientific staff and training that staff on the use of micro-physics and dispersion models.

The Snowy Hydro Precipitation Enhancement Research Program is still underway today and serves as a leading example in the country on the application of sound, scientifically based application of cloud seeding for the purpose of precipitation augmentation to improve water supplies.