Happy National Hydropower Day!
August 24 is National Hydropower Day—a day to celebrate hydropower’s important role in America’s clean energy mix. Learn more about the many power and non-power benefits hydropower has to offer society.
WPTO Seeks Public Comments on Hydropower Industry Testing Needs and Capabilities: Today, on National Hydropower Day, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) released a public Request for Information (RFI). The RFI is seeking input from the hydropower community that will help DOE understand the industry’s hydropower testing needs and identify current facilities and capabilities, including existing water infrastructure that can be repurposed, refurbished, upgraded, or enhanced to test hydropower and pumped storage hydropower technologies. Responses to the RFI are due November 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
NREL Issues Request for Information for Hydropower Prize Strategy: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is seeking feedback from members of the hydropower industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on the research and development areas that future hydropower prizes should focus on. Learn more about WPTO’s hydropower prizes and submit responses to the RFI by October 31 at 5 p.m. ET.
PNNL & INL Outline Untapped Potential of Hydropower: Untapped hydropower opportunities with environmental and social benefits beyond the grid, including supporting underserved areas, were highlighted in a recent effort by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
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INL Demonstrates How Small Hydropower Plants Can be Useful in Emergency Blackouts: A partnership between INL and Idaho Falls Power proved that, with sufficient energy storage and INL’s innovative controls system, small hydroelectric power plants can black start in an emergency situation. The test showed promising results with the hydropower plants generating enough energy to serve as a backup microgrid for Idaho Falls’ emergency services.
Step into the Worlds of Two Hydropower Professionals: Hear how two experts are helping to modernize the hydropower industry as part of NREL’s “Hydropower Day in the Life” video series, featuring Allison Frechette, a compliance specialist with Brookfield Renewable, and Vicki Hoffman, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Middle Snake Field Office Operation and Maintenance Manager. Check out Allison and Vicki’s videos to learn about potential career pathways and how hydroelectricity plays an increasingly important role in the U.S. power grid.
10 Reasons to Love “Water Batteries”: Water batteries—or pumped storage hydropower—can swoop in and power homes when high energy demand threatens to overload the grid. Read a new article from WPTO to learn 10 reasons why you should love the biggest batteries on Earth.
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Upcoming Deadlines
Last Chance to Provide Feedback on Defining Inadequate Electric Service Areas: Responses to a WPTO RFI that seeks stakeholder input on factors that should be considered in relation to defining “an area where there is inadequate electric service” are due September 7, 2021, by 11:59 p.m. ET.
Products & Publications
EPRI and PNNL Collaborate to Use Deep Learning to Detect Migrating Eels With Sonar: The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and PNNL published a new paper presenting their deep learning model that enables automated detection of adult American eels using sonar data. WPTO and PNNL are already using these models to develop machine learning tools for effective monitoring of fish migration with additional projects.
Upcoming Webinars & Events
WPTO R&D Deep Dive Webinar: WPTO in Alaska
September 15, 5–6 p.m. ET
Alaska is a living laboratory, one that DOE knows well. Join representatives from WPTO as they share the work that they are doing along the coasts and waterways of Alaska and give some insights into what could be next for water power in The Last Frontier.
HydroVision International 2021
September 21–23, 2021
Join hydropower professionals from across the world at this year’s HydroVision International conference. Members from WPTO and U.S. national labs will not be able to attend the in-person event due to departmental travel restrictions, but we are looking forward to DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for EERE Kelly Speakes-Backman’s virtual participation in the opening plenary.
NHA Hosts Inaugural Clean Currents Event
October 20–22, 2021
Join the National Hydropower Association (NHA) at the all-new, official waterpower tradeshow and conference. The event will feature remarks from Acting Assistant Secretary for EERE Kelly Speakes-Backman and virtual participation from WPTO and lab staff. Register today.
In Case You Missed It
Congress’s Bipartisan Effort to Invest in America’s Infrastructure: What It Means for Waterpower, Dams, and Rivers: Check out a recent article from NHA summarizing the record-setting incentives for conventional hydropower, pumped storage hydropower, and marine energy included in the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act.
Technology Innovation Fosters National Clean Energy Education Program: On August 11, 2021, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) published an article highlighting the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s (BEF) new clean energy education outreach program, the Clean Energy Talent Development Hub for Water Power. The virtual hub, while initially focused on water power, will promote equitable education for underrepresented communities with the goals of broadly sharing knowledge about clean energy and providing today’s youth with access to resources that will foster the future clean energy workforce. The hub is an expansion of BEF’s CE education program, sponsored by BPA’s Technology Innovation group and made possible by a network of collaborative partnerships that include WPTO, the Hydropower Foundation, and NREL.
Natel Energy Announces $20 Million in Funding to Further Deploy Restoration Hydro Turbine: Natel Energy announced a $20 million funding round, led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and supported by Chevron Technology Ventures, to build momentum in deploying its flagship product, the Restoration Hydro Turbine.
WPTO and National Labs Launch New Irrigation Modernization Tool: WPTO, INL, and PNNL have created a new software tool to help users analyze the costs and benefits of irrigation modernization.
WPTO in the News
Hydro in the Headlines
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Smart Hydropower Tech Demand to Grow Rapidly, Says Industry Survey, International Water Power & Dam Construction, 8/13/21
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Hydropower Levels Under Careful Watch as Drought Ravages the West, POWER Magazine, Sonal Patel, 8/9/21
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California Hits Drought Milestone as Oroville Hydropower Stops for First Time, POLITICO, Debra Kahn, 8/5/21
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China Starts Up Turbines at 16-GW Hydro Project After Four-Year Construction Period, POWER Magazine, Sonal Patel, 8/2/21
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MAN and ANDRITZ Plan Pilot Green Hydrogen from Hydropower Project, The Maritime Executive, 7/29/21
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RWE Couples Batteries with Hydropower in Innovative Facility, Water Power Dam & Construction, 7/27/21
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First Steps Taken to Make Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project at San Vicente Reservoir a Reality, California News Times, 7/26/21
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Drought Threatens to Close Calif. Hydropower Plant for First Time, E&E News, Anne C. Mulkern, 7/16/21
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Hydropower Worries Grow as Colorado River Reservoirs Keep Dropping, KUNC-FM, Luke Runyon, 7/13/21
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The Colorado River Dryout, POLITICO Morning Energy, Matthew Choi & Annie Snider, 7/9/21
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Tallying Drought’s Toll on California Hydropower, Axios Generate, Ben Geman, 7/7/21
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