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Follow along on the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook channels for more #WaterWednesday content each week.
Upcoming Deadlines
Announcements & Opportunities
Deadline Approaching to Provide Input to Inform Hydroelectric Incentive Programs: The deadline is approaching to respond to an RFI that will inform the development of nearly $630 million in hydroelectric incentive investments outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The RFI solicits feedback on program structure, timing and distribution of funds, definitions of capital improvements, and selection criteria for the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Program (Section 243) and Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives Program (Section 247). RFI responses are due Sept. 6, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. ET.
Submissions Closing Soon for Phase Two of Hydropower Prize: The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is accepting submissions for the second phase of the H2Os Prize. Competitors are challenged to develop solutions for innovative hydropower operational schemes with the potential to advance hydropower’s contributions to decarbonizing the U.S. power grid by 2035. The prize welcomes new and returning teams, and the deadline for Phase Two submissions is Aug. 19, 2022.
DOE Requesting Feedback on Program for Clean Energy Projects on Current and Former Mine Land: DOE issued an RFI to inform a $500 million program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to demonstrate clean energy projects on current or former mine lands across the United States. The program will support projects that demonstrate one or more clean energy technologies, such as energy storage including pumped storage hydropower (PSH), on mining sites. The deadline to submit responses is Aug. 15, 2022, by 5 p.m. ET.
Submit Abstracts for CEATI’s Annual Hydropower Conference: The Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation (CEATI) is currently accepting abstracts for their annual Hydropower Conference. The conference will take place March 14-15 in Palm Springs, CA, focusing on the opportunities and challenges that utilities are facing, with specific focus on retrofitting dams for extended life, extreme events and the increased need for flexibility, and opportunities for power plant modernization. The deadline to submit abstracts is Sept. 6, 2022 by 4 p.m. ET.
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Products & Publications
Introducing a Tool for Navigating Stakeholder Discussions in Hydropower Licensing: The National Hydropower Association’s Powerhouse platform released an article on the Environmental Decision Support toolkit. Read up on the benefits of the toolkit and how to access it.
Video: NREL Is Building the Future of Hydropower: Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are working to expand hydropower’s role in the fight against climate change. Through grid modeling, NREL experts are studying how hydropower facilities can best support an evolving renewable energy grid. Watch this video to learn more about NREL’s hydropower program.
Two HydroWIRES Reports Seek to Improve Hydropower’s Role on a Decarbonized Grid: WPTO released two reports under its Hydropower and Water Innovation for a Resilient Electricity System (HydroWIRES) Initiative.
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Price Formation in Zero-Carbon Electricity Markets: The Role of Hydropower: This report examines the role of hydropower resources on a future decarbonized electric grid by identifying a set of research questions to improve understanding of electricity market design, price formation, and efficiency in zero-carbon power systems.
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Advanced Hydropower and PSH Capacity Expansion Modeling: This report demonstrates a set of model advancements to improve hydropower and PSH representations in models that consider these technologies’ roles in electricity systems. This report will provide groundwork to use advanced planning models to explore the range of roles hydropower and PSH can play on the electricity grid.
Upcoming Events
WPTO R&D Deep Dive: Advancing Fish Protection Through Prizes
Aug. 31, 2022, 2–3 p.m. ET, Online
Three years ago, WPTO, in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, launched the Fish Protection Prize. Winners then partnered with researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to advance their solutions. On Aug. 31, 2022, join members of the prize-winning teams, judges, and administrators for a reflection on the prize process, a celebration of the achievements so far, and a look to what might come next for fish protection and coexistence with water infrastructure in the United States.
WPTO R&D Deep Dive Dive: National Resource Assessment for Closed-Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower
September 8, 2022, 1-2 p.m. ET, Online
Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is the largest existing source of utility-scale electricity storage, making it a proven technology to enhance grid reliability and help integrate variable resources like wind and solar photovoltaics. This webinar introduces a new dataset to help determine the role PSH can play in the future electric grid—the first-ever United States-focused national resource assessment of closed-loop PSH sites, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
 Global Clean Energy Action Forum
Sept. 21–23, 2022, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Join Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, government leaders from 31 countries, international organizations, the private sector, academia, innovators, civil society, and early-career researchers, as well as others, at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum. Focused on rapid innovation and deployment of clean energy around the world, including hydropower, the event features a high-level plenary, topical roundtables, technology demonstrations, and more. Register today.
In Case You Missed It
WPTO Article Examines Two New Studies on Opportunities to Expand PSH: Argonne National Laboratory and NREL recently published studies exploring promising new PSH technologies and their potential in specific regions across the United States, respectively. This article explores both reports and their major findings.
WPTO/DOE in the News
Hydro in the Headlines
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Hydropower Offers Stability During Heat Waves, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tom Conning, July 26, 2022
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Poland’s 820MWh Pumped Storage Project to Boost Energy Security, Power Engineering International, Pamela Largue, July 25, 2022
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‘Small Hydro’ Plants Better Than Dams, Says Green Energy Activist, Free Malaysia Today, Nicholas Chung, July 22, 2022
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Environmental Board Upholds Permit for Hydropower Corridor, AP News, David Sharp, July 21, 2022
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Repurposing Old Mines for Hydro Pumping Electrical Storage, The Daily Mining Gazette, Graham Jaehnig, July 21, 2022
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