The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 14 hydropower projects to begin negotiations for testing support through its Hydropower Testing Network (HyTN), helping developers advance technologies towards commercial deployment.
The projects cover new generation and storage technologies, equipment maintenance, environmental monitoring and fish passage. Subject to negotiations, recipients will receive vouchers for in-kind support from testing facilities matched to their technical needs.
This is the network’s second round of selections. Funded by DOE’s Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O), HyTN provides access to more than 65 specialised physical testing and modelling capabilities across 21 facilities, including hydraulic and biological testing and techno-economic analysis.
“By pairing industry innovators with leading U.S. test facilities and technical expertise, HyTN accelerates the development of next-generation technologies that keep hydropower reliable and abundant,” said H2O Director Nichole Fitzgerald.
Among the selected developers, Emrgy will demonstrate a prototype low-head turbine platform designed to generate electricity from man-made water infrastructure, including irrigation canals. GenH will test a rapidly deployable technology for existing non-powered dams at the University of Minnesota, with results informing a predictive framework for designing systems to suit different sites.
Two projects focus on pumped storage. Hydro Green Energy will work with the National Laboratory of the Rockies on a grid-focused economic analysis for a scheme using an existing dam and reservoir, supporting progress towards licensing and construction. RCAM Technologies, trading as Sperra, will work with Polaris EcoSystems to advance a 3D-printed subsea pumped storage system that stores electricity using hollow concrete spheres on the seafloor.
Several selections address maintenance and component performance. Chelan County Public Utility District will undertake two projects with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL): evaluating self-lubricating, grease-free wicket gate stem bushings, and validating a low-temperature cold spray technique for repairing worn turbine components on site without using heat.
Kingsbury will continue work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to investigate an advanced thermoplastic polymer as a potential bearing material for hydropower generators. VBASE Oil Company will also continue its collaboration with ORNL, testing a lubricant for hydropower facilities.
Dry Surface Technologies will work with PNNL to scale production of a non-toxic antifouling coating to a pilot manufacturing process. The coating is intended to offer a lower-cost way to prevent component clogging and reduce repairs.
Prometheus Innovations has been selected for two projects with PNNL. One continues testing of a coating designed to prevent aquatic growth, including invasive mussels and brown algae. The other will assess an underwater net coating that can attract or repel fish to help prevent entry into water intake structures.
Fish passage specialist Radmantis will continue work from the first HyTN round at a Verdantas testing flume, evaluating whether mechanically guided fish entrainment improves AI-based selective fish passage at hydropower facilities.
Environmental monitoring projects include Nucleic Sensing Systems’ validation of a real-time environmental DNA sensor designed to distinguish fresh, dissolved eDNA from stale or transported material. The University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory will work with PNNL to assess the reliability and durability of a small, low-cost water quality sensor for hydropower and pumped storage facilities.
The voucher programme is managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with DOE through a partnership intermediary agreement established by the department’s Office of Technology Commercialization.
