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By
Elizabeth Ingram
October
12, 2023
DOE announces $38 million to
support hydropower, releases new Hydropower Vision Roadmap
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 66 hydro
facilities will receive more than $38 million in incentive payments
for electricity generated and sold, and the “reimagined” Hydropower
Vision Roadmap has been released.
Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and with consideration of
facilities located in communities with inadequate electric service,
the incentive payments provide funding for electricity generated and
sold from dams and other water infrastructure that add or expand
hydroelectric power generating capabilities. These payments represent
DOE’s largest investment in hydroelectric facilities to date,
according to a release.
“Hydropower is one of the nation’s original sources of renewable
energy and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is providing
transformative funding to help protect this existing clean energy
infrastructure,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
“Today’s announcement supports waterpower’s continued growth while
maintaining and expanding good-paying jobs and increasing access to
affordable, clean power where it is needed most.”
Hydropower accounts for 28.7% of renewable electricity generation in
the U.S., as well as 93% of all utility-scale energy storage capacity.
However, fewer than 3% of the nation’s more than 90,000 dams produce
power. Adding generation equipment to these sites could add up to 12
GW of new hydropower capacity to the U.S. electric system.
The Hydroelectric Production Incentives, administered by DOE’s Grid
Deployment Office, are part of a comprehensive program funded by a
$750 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to
support the continued operation of the U.S. hydropower fleet and
ensure a more reliable and resilient electric grid system. Other
program offerings are the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement
Incentives and Maintaining & Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives.
Since 2014, hydropower incentives have been used to support operations
and maintenance, fees and service debts, exploration of new small
hydropower opportunities, and salary and benefits for the hydropower
workforce.
Click here for a complete list of selected applicants.
Additionally, DOE released the reimagined Hydropower Vision Roadmap,
led by the Water Power Technologies Office. With the release of the
Hydropower Vision report in 2016, DOE made a commitment to the
hydropower community to make the Vision a living document. The
original Hydropower Vision report was released at HYDROVISION
International 2016.
To uphold that commitment, WPTO and the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory reimagined the Vision’s roadmap with the support of the
hydropower community. The Vision stated that with continued technology
advancements, innovative market mechanisms, and a focus on
environmental sustainability, U.S. hydropower could grow from its
current 101 GW to nearly 150 GW of combined electricity generating and
storage capacity by 2050. The roadmap lays out the specific activities
identified by the hydropower community to achieve those goals by 2050
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