Hydropower Data Access and Analytics

Though hydropower is the oldest form of U.S. electricity generation, there is limited publicly available or accessible centralized data on the makeup, performance, costs, market participation, or regulatory best practices of the U.S. hydropower and pumped storage fleet. The ability to access and analyze river and water data is limited. This limitation hinders the ability of diverse stakeholders to engage in integrated energy-water systems planning, particularly at the river-basin level without access to data on topics such as:

• River ecology,
• Flood control,
• Hydrography,
• Recreation,
• Other socioeconomic uses,
• Water quality, and
• Water use.

Improved access to existing data and new analytical capabilities are necessary for a well-designed, long-term research strategy that: 

• Supports the maintenance and expansion of the U.S. hydropower fleet,
• Reduces impact, and
• Identifies ways to increase its contributions to grid reliability and resilience. 

DOE-funded research continually generates a large amount of new information, and this data must be transparent and made publicly available in a timely manner. 

Through its Data Access and Analytics Activity Area, WPTO aims to address these challenges through the following approaches: 

• Develop systems and standards to improve access to integrated water data and information relevant to hydropower stakeholders,
• Improve capabilities to analyze multifaceted types of hydropower and water data to better identify opportunities and weigh potential trade-offs across multiple objectives at basin-scales, and
• Support the development of new educational resources where gaps currently exist, including curricula and training, to support an evolving hydropower workforce and increase awareness of hydropower opportunities.