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Media Contacts
![Conduit hydropower presents opportunities in every state. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-10/Picture1.png?h=3fe30658&itok=8NCUQOmV)
Millions of miles of pipelines and conduits across the United States make up an intricate network of waterways used for municipal, agricultural and industrial purposes.
![ORNL is studying how climate change may impact water availability for hydropower facilities such as the Shasta Dam and Lake in California. Credit: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-09/Shasta%20Dam.png?h=2664774c&itok=F-QELlkQ)
ORNL has provided hydropower operators with new data to better prepare for extreme weather events and shifts in seasonal energy demands caused by climate change.
![Melton Hill Dam](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-08/Melton%20Hill%20Dam_Thumbnail.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=2XzUkPIq)
To further the potential benefits of the nation’s hydropower resources, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed and maintain a comprehensive water energy digital platform called HydroSource.
![non-powered dam](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-07/hydropower-resized_0.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=SQEPNh78)
Although more than 92,000 dams populate the country, the vast majority — about 89,000 — do not generate electricity through hydropower.
![ORNL researchers deploy a gas trap to measure ebullitive (bubbling) emissions of methane at the Melton Dam in East Tennessee. The trap is deployed for ~ 24 hours to allow gas to accumulate in the trap. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, US Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-06/2022-P04233.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=rKz5qh7F)
As the United States moves toward more sustainable and renewable sources of energy, hydropower is expected to play a pivotal role in integrating more intermittent renewables like wind and solar to the electricity grid
![Jim Szybist, Propulsion Science section head at ORNL, is applying his years of alternative fuel combustion and thermodynamics research to the challenge of cleaning up the hard-to-decarbonize, heavy-duty mobility sector. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy.](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-05/Picture1_6.jpg?h=b67478d5&itok=3BWDWSU8)
What’s getting Jim Szybist fired up these days? It’s the opportunity to apply his years of alternative fuel combustion and thermodynamics research to the challenge of cleaning up the hard-to-decarbonize, heavy-duty mobility sector — from airplanes to locomotives to ships and massive farm combines.
![A large generator is installed at the Meldahl hydropower plant in Kentucky. The energy sector anticipates longer lead times in procuring such large components for increasing construction and modernization of U.S. hydropower plants. Credit: American Municipal Power](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-04/Turbine.jpg?h=d6da01b6&itok=GxSyq_DK)
A new Department of Energy report produced by Oak Ridge National Laboratory identifies several supply chain must-haves in maintaining the pivotal role hydropower will play in decarbonizing the nation’s grid.
![ORNL’s Brenda Pracheil, left, and Kristine Moody collect water samples at Melton Hill Lake using a sophisticated instrument that collects DNA in the water to determine fish species and number of fish in the water, which could prove useful for monitoring hydropower impacts. Credit: Carlos Jones, ORNL/U.S Dept. of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2022-01/2020-P17436_0.jpg?h=c6980913&itok=BXPhSslk)
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using a novel approach in determining environmental impacts to aquatic species near hydropower facilities, potentially leading to smarter facility designs that can support electrical grid reliability.
![Scientists genetically engineered bacteria for itaconic acid production, creating dynamic controls that separate microbial growth and production phases for increased efficiency and acid yield. Credit: NREL](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-05/Putida_forAdam_2clr_2.jpg?h=71f44bf2&itok=8u0ZVufx)
A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory bioengineered a microbe to efficiently turn waste into itaconic acid, an industrial chemical used in plastics and paints.
![Urban climate modeling](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2021-03/urbanclimate_sized.jpeg?h=0d9d21a1&itok=-ICe9HqY)
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a statistical relationship between the growth of cities and the spread of paved surfaces like roads and sidewalks. These impervious surfaces impede the flow of water into the ground, affecting the water cycle and, by extension, the climate.