Historical Perspective on the U.S. Department of Energy's Hydropower Program
For 30 years, the U.S. Department of Energy supported unique research and development activities focused on improving the domestic hydropower industry. In the 1970s and early 1980s, DOE’s Hydropower Program focused on technology assessment and a Small Hydropower Demonstration Program. After a period of zero funding in the late 1980s, the Program restarted with the goal of developing new technology that would improve the environmental performance of hydropower projects. A unique partnership of industry and federal cost-sharing allowed the Advanced Hydropower Turbine Systems activity to be established in 1994 – this led to new fish-friendly turbine designs and testing. Interagency cooperation with organizations like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been a consistent part of the Program, along with scientific leadership and technical expertise from three of DOE’s National Laboratories: INL, ORNL, and PNNL. Program accomplishments include several new turbine designs, biological design criteria, computational and physical modeling, and environmental sensors. In contrast to other R&D on fish passage at dams, the DOE-sponsored research has focused on making the path through the turbine safer.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 963614
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-49358; EB4402010; TRN: US200918%%412
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Proceedings of HydroVision 2006, July 31-August 4, Portland, Oregon
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
DOE Hydropower Program Annual Report for FY 2002
A progress report on DOE`s advanced hydropower turbine systems program