WPTO’s 2021–2022 Accomplishments Report offers a glimpse into the important work happening across the office’s Hydropower and Marine Energy programs with partners across the country. Read more from the WPTO Director.
Water Power Technologies Office
March 1, 2023
minute read time
Dear Stakeholders,
I am pleased to share the 2021–2022 Accomplishments Report from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO). This report offers a glimpse into the important work happening across our Hydropower and Marine Energy programs with partners at national laboratories, academic institutions, companies, and other organizations.
At locations across the United States, researchers, developers, and other experts are assessing the potential of water power resources, developing and testing technologies to harness that power, and growing the existing and next-generation workforce needed to realize hydropower’s and marine energy’s full potential. These are just a few of the projects I am incredibly excited to share with you this year. These efforts can help transform our country’s energy system—from bustling urban centers to remote and rural communities—and even how we power the technologies we rely on for weather monitoring at sea and water desalination.
A committed team focused on opportunities to deploy renewable energy today and tomorrow is behind each of these projects. I thank everyone working on WPTO-supported projects—those within these pages and the many more not included here—for their hard work and dedication. I hope you enjoy learning more about their crucial efforts. I also encourage you to learn more about our office’s work in our recently released 2022 Peer Review report. This report describes the valuable input and feedback our external stakeholders shared with us during our virtual peer review in July 2022 that will inform our Hydropower and Marine Energy programs now and in the years to come.
You can stay up to date on all of WPTO’s work, latest news, and events throughout the year by subscribing to our monthly Water Wire newsletter and bimonthly Hydro Headlines and Water Column newsletters. And please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Garson
Director, Water Power Technologies Office
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Department of Energy
WPTO 2021-2022 Accomplishments Report
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An Oak Ridge National Laboratory report found opportunities to develop hydropower on conduits in every state, totaling 1.41 gigawatts of new generating potential. -
A General Electric Research-led team demonstrated a new hydropower turbine design and monitoring methodology that allows plant operators to adjust power output in a few seconds to meet energy demand without needing to start or stop units. -
An assessment found the U.S. hydropower supply chain effectively supports the existing fleet, but anticipated new construction and the need to refurbish, upgrade, and relicense facilities show a need to scale up domestic supply chain activities. -
A Pacific Northwest National Laboratory study found hydropower could still be relied upon to supply flexible power during periods of high energy demand—even during the most severe droughts. -
WPTO launched the inaugural Hydropower Collegiate Competition to inspire the next generation of hydropower workers. -
A project team led by Ocean Motion Technologies deployed a prototype wave energy converter technology that can harness power from waves as small as those created by boat wakes. -
During CalWave’s 10-month open-water test off the California coast, its wave energy converter technology remained operational for 99% of the deployment, and the company collected valuable data on device-ecosystem interactions. -
The Triton Initiative Field Trials team completed and published the first large-scale environmental monitoring methodology recommendations for the marine energy industry produced from field tests in the United States. -
Competitors completed the Waves to Water Prize and produced some of the first wave-powered desalination prototypes to ever be deployed.
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