ORNL researchers are reducing barriers to pumped storage hydropower, enabling research, development, and testing of new technologies to advance pumped storage systems.
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 ensure hydropower’s continued sustainability as a resilient, secure energy source, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office tasked Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore how advanced manufacturing and materials could more easily and cost-effectively modernize the existing fleet and facilitate further innovations in design.
To facilitate the expanded use of hydropower as a reliable and consistent source of energy, researchers are using non-invasive genomic data collection to monitor impacts to aquatic life near hydropower facilities.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have initiated a one-of-a-kind project to create the first central repository for geo-referenced and -attributed data on fish passage facilities at hydropower installations across the United States.
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.
A new report released by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory details findings from its third environmental impact assessment for hydropower — part of a multi-year study directed by the SECURE Water Act of 2009 Section 9505.
Recent changes in the global energy sector have prompted the need for technological innovations to address performance, reliability, safety, and environmental standards. While larger hydropower plants have well-established designs and validation processes, small hydropower facility owners must often weigh the cost of testing new technology with potential revenue.