December Hydro Headlines: Last Chance for Input on Hydropower Prize Strategy

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Water Power Technologies Office

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December 8, 2021

Image announcing the newsletter name "Hydro Headlines" and an image of hydropower.

Welcome to Hydro Headlines, a monthly snapshot of hydropower news and happenings. This month’s newsletter will take approximately 5 minutes to read.

Reach out to us at WaterPowerTechnologiesOffice@ee.doe.gov with any inquiries or suggestions.

Icon for hydropower.

Did You Know?

The United States’ first industrial use of hydropower to generate electricity was in 1880 to power 16 brush-arc lamps at the Wolverine Chair Factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Follow along on the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE)’s Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook channels for more #WaterWednesday content each week.


Upcoming Deadlines


Announcements and Opportunities

Final Chance To Provide Input on Future Hydropower Prize Strategy: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a request for information (RFI) from the broader hydropower industry to ensure that suitable prizes are developed going forward. NREL is seeking feedback from members of the hydropower industry, academia, research laboratories, and government agencies, as well as other stakeholders, on what research and development areas future hydropower prizes should focus on. Please read the full RFI for details and submit your response by 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 17, 2021.

DOE Releases RFI To Enhance Energy Supply Chain Resiliency: DOE and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research recently issued an RFI geared toward energy sector supply chains. The RFI seeks input from all stakeholders involved directly and indirectly in the supply chains of energy, energy systems and technologies, and energy efficiency technologies. Hydropower and pumped storage hydropower (PSH) technology is included in the 14 topic areas. Read the full RFI for more information. The deadline to submit comments is 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 15, 2022.


Products and Publications

pumped storage hydropower facility from above.

Pumped Storage Hydropower Projects See New Potential With Valuation Tool: To help developers accurately calculate the potential of a PSH project, DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) launched the PSH Valuation Tool. Developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Argonne National Laboratory, the online tool works with the PSH Valuation Guidebook, walking users through the step-by-step process of project valuation.

NREL Tool Provides Cybersecurity for Hydropower Plants: Hydropower reliability is essential as the United States works toward a clean energy future; however, the resource’s diverse infrastructure presents cybersecurity challenges. That’s why NREL and Argonne National Laboratory created the Cybersecurity Value-at-Risk Framework, providing hydropower operators complete and customized assessments of their cybersecurity risks and showing how different investments can help improve resilience.

WPTO Helps Alaskan Partners Pursue a Renewable Future With Water Power: WPTO is helping Alaskans tap a massive renewable energy source rushing through their state: water. Throughout 2021, WPTO and partners invested in several marine energy and hydropower projects in Alaska, working closely with community members to learn how to best serve their energy needs while respecting their culture.

NREL Launches New Water Power Newsletter: Stay updated on the latest and most important water power research, innovation, and insights from NREL. Subscribe to the new NREL Water Power Newsletter. Important headlines, highlights, and research in marine energy, hydropower, and integrated water systems will be shared in a digestible format to keep you in the know.

"Get the latest hydropower happenings - subscribe now"

National STEM DayWPTO Style: For this year’s National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Day on Nov. 8, 2021, WPTO celebrated by releasing an article calling on today’s youth to consider a career in STEM. Read the National STEM Day article now to learn about the many exciting opportunities that WPTO is providing to incentivize more people to dive into STEM-related careers.


Upcoming Event

R&D Deep Dive Webinar: The Environmental Decision Support Toolkit and Relicensing

Jan. 26, 2021, 3–4 p.m. ET

The number of hydropower facilities facing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing will double between 2020 and 2030. It’s a process that can draw huge costs both financially and in time needed. Join the team behind the Environmental Decision Support Toolkit for a walk through their online, interactive, and science-based questionnaire, which provides users with a systematic and transparent method for identifying the potential environmental impacts of a proposed hydropower project.

Register for the webinar.


In Case You Missed It

WPTO Announces $16M To Support Increasing Hydropower’s Role in Clean Energy: DOE announced funding to advance the Water Innovation for a Resilient Electricity System (HydroWIRES) Initiative through nine new national laboratory-directed projects. Projects will build on foundational HydroWIRES research and improve hydropower’s contributions to a clean energy future.

WPTO Unveils Hydropower Licensing Report: WPTO released a comprehensive examination of the current hydropower licensing process. The report documents licensing timelines, causal factors, and their combined effect on risk, cost, and deployment of U.S. hydropower projects.

Illustration of a city and river.

DOE Discusses Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize With Federal News Network: Rukmani Vijayaraghavan, the innovation and market transformation advisor for WPTO, recently sat down with Federal News Network on its podcast, “Federal Drive With Tom Temin,” to chat about DOE’s new Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize. Listen to the full interview to learn more.

PNNL Assesses Hydropower’s Contribution to Grid Resilience: PNNL released a report examining how hydropower positively affects grid resilience. The report outlines hydropower’s characteristics that enable grid reliability and identifies methods, tools, models, and data for analyzing hydropower’s impact on resilience.


WPTO in the News


Hydro in the Headlines