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.
Filter Projects
Area of Research
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.
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.
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.
With shifts in climate continuing, 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.
To ensure hydropower’s continued sustainability as a reliable, renewable 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.
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.
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.
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Researchers at ORNL are assessing hydropower development potential at non-powered dams in Puerto Rico as part of the island's goal to attain 100% renewable energy by 2050.