Project Summary
New technologies need to be rapidly deployable, more efficient, flexible, and environmentally friendly to maximize water use, energy, and the environment. Pennsylvania State University will develop and demonstrate a low-head hydropower turbine and generator system prototype that combines lightweight, corrosion-resistant metallic components that can be produced through an additive manufacturing process integrated with a health monitoring system and condition-based maintenance. This system will help to identify maintenance needs and facilitate improved operation.
| Project Title | Rapidly Deployable, Advanced, Integrated Low-head Hydropower Turbine and Generator System Prototype |
| Awardee | Pennsylvania State University |
| Awardee HQ Location | Pennsylvania |
| DOE Funding Amount | $2,200,000 |
| Awardee Cost Share | $550,000 |
| Program Area | Capacity and Efficiency Upgrades |
| Recipient Type | University |
| Award Type | Competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement |
| Year Awarded | 2015 |
| Work Locations | Pennsylvania |
| Funding Opportunity | Water Power Manufacturing FOA |
| Congressional District(s) | PA-5 |
| Status | Active |
What You Need to Know
Opportunities
This project supports research and development efforts to modernize the U.S. hydropower fleet, which covers 2,000 projects nationwide and has a capacity of 80 GW. Modernizing the existing fleet can add an additional 6.3 GW by 2050, delivering lower-cost power and providing more flexibility for our nation’s power grid.
Impacts
- Optimized, scalable design creates high efficiency over wide operating range, compact design for modularity, and low-cost installation.
- Lowered costs from additive manufacturing technology.
- Uninterrupted structural health monitoring operation, mitigated catastrophic failure, reduced mean time between maintenance intervals, and reduced operation and maintenance costs.
- Hub-less design enables self-cleaning on turbine blades and potential for unobstructed fish Increased sustainable hydropower development and reduced regulatory review time.
Actions
- Complete turbine manufacture with structural health monitoring system installed.
- Test prototype.
Project Library
About the Water Power Technologies Office
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office advances cutting-edge technology to modernize the U.S. hydropower fleet and drive U.S. leadership in wave and tidal energy, with the goal of delivering low-cost power and resiliency to America’s power grids.
