Oak Ridge National Laboratory publishes the Hydropower Market Report on behalf of the US Department of Energy for the benefit of industry, policymakers, and the public.
Projects
Recent small hydropower development in the United States has been concentrated on the powering of unpowered water resource infrastructure such as non-powered dams and irrigation canals.
ORNL is analyzing the metrics used to assess the environmental effects of hydropower development, along with a river function framework and a decision support tool that can assist stakeholders in hydropower licensing and permitting.
To overcome the current gaps in hydropower fleet management data, researchers at ORNL are developing data-driven best practices that can be shared with hydropower facilities to optimize value and reliability.
Intake pipes, or penstock, for a hydropower plant. The penstock delivers water from a reservoir or river to hydro turbines inside the plant’s power station.
HydroSource is the most comprehensive and unique National Water-Energy digital platform that accomplishes data stewardship and dissemination for U.S. hydropower stakeholders.
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Development of global and domestic pumped storage hydropower has traditionally focused on construction of large, highly customized plants that provide more than 100 MW of electricity. However, these plants are costly and face significant challenges.
The goal of this project is to reduce pumped storage barriers through development of a novel technology.
Permitting and regulation are necessary to ensure that hydropower projects comply with statutory requirements and meet multiple stakeholder priorities, which include other important water uses.
A new report released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory details findings from its third climate change impact assessment for hydropower — part of a multi-year study directed by the SECURE Water Act of 2009 Section 9505.