Projects

Researchers at ORNL assessed hydropower development potential at non-powered dams in Puerto Rico as part of the island's goal to fortify its energy system against extreme weather events and other natural disasters.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are collaborating with members of the Internet of Water Coalition to outline a path for creating intelligent watershed systems that digitally connect people and systems and interact with hydropower systems at a watershed scale.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, or EBCI, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are exploring smaller scale, less intrusive hydropower options, including dam-less run-of-river systems.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are assessing the feasibility of retrofitting some of the country's non-powered dams (NPDs) to potentially generate enough energy to add 12 gigawatts of electricity to the U.S. power grid.

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed, synthesized and tested nontoxic but high-functioning lubricant additives for use in electrical turbines installed in aquatic environments, which will aid the adoption of marine energy. Advancing the marine energy sector and the development of reliable, cost-competitive technologies can offer Americans a new source of independent, resilient energy.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked to develop a cost/benefit resource tool that assesses the cost and design dynamics of small modular pumped storage hydropower; weighs the benefits against economies of scale inherent in utility-scale development; and measures the economic competitiveness of the technology against alternative distributed storage technologies, such as batteries.

Most privately owned hydropower facilities must secure or renew a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This process can take more than 7 years to complete, and the environmental impact study negotiation phase is one of the lengthiest parts of the process. 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 help expedite hydropower licensing and permitting.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing more efficient systems to track and model the cost and performance of US hydropower plants. Information from this effort is used by a variety of key stakeholders, including researchers, the Department of Energy, and policymakers.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory examined regulatory processes to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and remove barriers that slow or inhibit greater hydropower generation.

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 of these energy facilities.