Many projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) result in web-based tools, datasets, or other contributions to collective water power knowledge. WPTO's tools, datasets, and information resources can help water power stakeholders better understand, develop, and deploy hydropower and marine energy technologies. Learn more about the user-friendly tools and resources from DOE national laboratories.
For more information on WPTO-supported projects, visit the WPTO Projects Map.
For more information on WPTO's efforts in water power data, visit the Hydropower Data Access and Analytics and Marine Energy Data Access and Analytics activity area webpages.
Name Driving Question Description Target Audience (ORNL)
Where can I find streamflow estimates at ungauged locations? Dayflow is a historical streamflow reanalysis dataset reconstructed for a 36-year period (1980-2015). The dataset provides both daily and monthly scale streamflow information at about 2.7 million stream reaches in the conterminous U.S. Hydropower developers, owners, operators, and regulators, resource agencies Existing Hydropower Asset (EHA) Database
(ORNL)
What does the existing hydropower fleet look like? The EHA database is an annually updated point-level dataset that describes key information for operational hydropower and pumped storage assets in the U.S. It is one of the most up-to-date places to find nationwide information about hydropower like plant capacity, location, dam and owner characteristics, and annual energy generation. Hydropower owners/operators, regulators, academia (ORNL)
Where can I find National energy-water data? HydroSource is an innovative digital platform consisting of comprehensive data and diverse tools on U.S. hydropower assets that enables data-driven decision making at the water-energy nexus. It provides authoritative data that enable a comprehensive understanding of the impacts and risks of hydropower operations at various spatio-temporal scales and facilitates knowledge discovery and research transparency by making hydropower related datasets findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable by following data principles. Hydropower developers, owners, operators, and regulators, resource agencies (ORNL)
Where can I visualize and analyze diverse National energy-water data? The HydroSource Data Explorer is an interactive map-based viewer for integrated energy, water and ecosystem analysis and allows users to explore, visualize and download datasets housed on the HydroSource digital platform. Users can find a plethora of data related to many types of hydropower and water development including (but not limited to) new stream reach development, non-powered dam development, existing hydropower assets, and fish passage to drive their own use cases. Hydropower developers, owners, operators, and regulators, resource agencies Non-powered Dam Custom Analysis and Taxonomy Tool (NPDamCAT)
(ORNL)
What dams have data and meet my criteria for further exploration? With over 90,000 dams in the U.S., it can be challenging to understand the opportunity space for non-powered dams, such as development, rehabilitation, or removal. The NPDamCAT App helps users categorize and subset dams according to their unique objectives based on a host of environmental, economic, technical, and social attributes. General water resources audience, hydropower developers Non-powered Dam (NPD) Explorer
(ORNL)
Where are non-powered dams that meet certain criteria located? The NPD Explorer provides an open-ended sandbox environment that allows users to visualize non-powered dam related data in diverse ways. The interactive map enables convenient visualization and spatial analysis of NPDs alongside a variety of key infrastructure, hydrologic, and environmental layers. Built-in querying and infographics widgets filter what is displayed on the map and generate simple graphs describing environmental, hydrological, operational, socioeconomic, and infrastructure data. General water resources audience, hydropower developers U.S. Hydropower Development Pipeline
(ORNL)
What hydropower projects are being developed? The U.S. hydropower development pipeline is a dataset that is updated annually to track the hydropower projects that are in permitting, licensing, or exemption phases of development and are not yet operational. Hydropower developers, regulators, academia Name Driving Question Description Target Audience Annual Technology Baseline: Hydropower
(NREL)
How do current hydropower costs compare to other data years and technologies? The annual technology baseline by NREL provides a standardized way of comparing cost estimates and projections for energy types. The hydropower tab provides capital expenditure and levelized cost of energy projections from 2020 to 2050 under various innovation scenarios and resource types. Hydropower developers, owners, and operators Hydropower Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop (RAPID) Toolkit
(NREL)
What do I need to do to license and permit my hydropower project? The Hydropower RAPID Toolkit aims to simplify regulatory processes for hydropower license applicants. The online wiki-based platform provides links to key information through a reference library, federal and state level approval requirements through a regulatory flowchart library, and best practice guidance through case studies. Hydropower developers, owners, and operators Name Driving Question Description Target Audience Hydroelectric Cybersecurity Response and Recovery Guides
(PNNL)
What to do during a cyber attack? PNNL has compiled information from multiple cybersecurity related agencies (Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology) into a set of guidance documents tailor made for hydropower owners and operators. These resources describe what to do and who to call in the case of cyber-attack or unusual activity. These include a step-by-step response and recovery flipbook, a reference guide, and an associated technical report. Hydropower owners and operators Hydropower Cybersecurity Value-at-Risk Framework Tool
(NREL)
How to invest in cybersecurity? The Cybersecurity Value-at-Risk Framework Tool guides hydropower plant owners and operators through a list of questions about their plant to understand their cybersecurity risks and to prioritize areas for investment. Hydropower owners and operators Name Driving Question Description Target Audience Closed Loop Pumped Storage Resource Assessment
(NREL)
Where are geographic formations that could be leveraged for PSH development? This dataset was created to better understand the technical potential of closed loop pump storage hydropower in the U.S. Geospatial and techno-economic analyses were used to identify two reservoir systems in socially and environmentally compatible locations with storage of at least 10 hours. The assessment found 3.5 terawatts and 35 terawatts-hours of potential across the U.S. and this dataset provides a great starting point to those interested in PSH development feasibility. Hydropower developers, hydropower owners/operators (INL, ANL, PNNL)
What is the value of energy storage at a hydropower facility? Adding energy storage to hydropower may improve performance in competitive electricity markets while simplifying hydropower operation. The Hydro + Storage Sizing Tool helps assess the value of integrating batteries with their facility through a model that uses generation and electricity price time series data with financial performance assumptions. The results will help asset owners assess the feasibility of hybridization. Energy developers (INL/PNNL)
What is the value of modernizing my irrigation system?
What modernization options best fit my needs and limitations?
This tool helps irrigation system owners identify and prioritize investment opportunities for modernization projects and visualize the data needed to make decisions. These opportunities include hydropower retrofits, water conservation strategies, and piping retrofits. The user-friendly online platform lets users virtually model and analyze their system all in one webpage. Irrigation districts, farmers, irrigation system owners and operators Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) Valuation Tool
(ANL, INL, NREL, ORNL, PNNL)
What is the total value of a PSH facility? PSH can provide a range of grid services from energy arbitrage and capacity to ancillary services and transmission benefits. This tool provides a step-by-step method of assessing these values based on site-specific information and user preferences. The tool can be used for new PSH or existing plants. Energy developers Standard Modular Hydropower (SMH) Explorer
(ORNL)
Where are similar new stream reach development sites? Based on the SMH concept from ORNL, the SMH Explorer is a map based online platform that analyzes energy, water, and environmental data in support of modular new stream reach hydropower development. For each module type, which include generation, sediment, fish passage, foundation, recreation, and water quality, the relevant site data were grouped into clusters with similar characteristics. This allows technology and site developers to quickly identify multiple sites where a technology could be applicable. Hydropower developers (ORNL)
What do streams have in common? Streams are often viewed as unique entities, which can make site assessments for hydropower development, stream restoration, or other mitigation projects difficult. The stream classification work from ORNL aimed to identify common characteristics across all streams in the coterminous United States to simplify the site identification process. The map-based web application lets the user quickly filter through stream classes and characteristics to find sites of interest. Hydropower developers, regulators, resource agency (ORNL)
What are the tradeoffs between economic, social, and environmental modular hydropower design choices? This open-source code base allows users to virtually design, simulate, and evaluate hydropower projects using the SMH framework from ORNL. The graphical user interface guides users through the characterization of the site, the modular technologies, design preferences, and cost tables. The built-in optimization functionalities allow the user to optimize the selection of technologies according to economic, environmental (fish and sediment passage), and social (recreation) objectives. Hydropower developers Name Driving Question Description Target Audience Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS)
(PNNL)
How do fish and other aquatic species behave and survive movement through and around hydropower facilities? JSATS was initially developed and has been extensively used to monitor the behavior, movement, habitat use, and survival of juvenile salmonids migrating from freshwater (through rivers and reservoirs and past hydroelectric dams) into saltwater in the Pacific Northwest. However, the technology is applicable to a wide range of aquatic species, research goals, and locations. For instance, JSATS has also been used to monitor the movements of other fish species such as American and European eels, sea trout, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, northern pikeminnow, walleye, lamprey, and sturgeon; fish behavior in relation to a variety of waterpower structures; and in many other geographic locations including California, Australia, Europe, and Brazil. Hydropower owners/operators, environmental consultants Environmental Decision Support Toolkit
(ORNL)
What tools and metrics should I use during stakeholder collaboration? The EDS toolkit provides science-based tools for hydropower stakeholder collaboration, including a transparent and consistent methodology for applying river function indicators to investment/licensing decisions. The River Function Indicator Questionnaire provides an online and interactive platform that walks stakeholders through a pre-defined process for estimating environmental impacts of a hydropower project. The EDS toolkit also provides a variety of datasets on environmental metrics and licensing procedures. Hydropower owners/operators (ORNL)
What do the projected future hydroclimate conditions look like? This dataset presents a suite of high-resolution downscaled hydro-climate projections over the conterminous U.S. based on a six-member General Climate Model ensemble from the Coupled Models Intercomparison Project. Each ensemble member covers 1980–2019 in the historic period and 2020–2059 in the near-term future period under the high-end emission scenario. This dataset is derived to support the SECURE Water Act Section 9505 Assessment for WPTO. Hydropower developers, owners/operators, regulators, resource agencies (PNNL)
Which designs and operations of turbines and infrastructure are the least impactful to fish? The HydroPASSAGE project aimed to improve the environmental performance of hydropower through the creation of several tools related to downstream fish passage. These tools include the BioPA and HBET tools (listed below) as well as the Sensor Fish package that is an autonomous device for measuring fish passage conditions. Turbine developers, hydropower owners/operators Biological Performance Assessment (BioPA) Toolset
(PNNL)
Which designs and operations of turbines are the least impactful to fish? The BioPA toolset informs the design and operation of hydropower turbines by relating computational fluid dynamics models of hydraulic conditions to known impacts to fish. BioPA evaluates hydropower turbine designs and operations based on several injury mechanisms to fish, including rapid decompression, shear, strike, and turbulence. The tool is available for licensing. Turbine developers Hydropower Biological Evaluation Toolset (HBET)
(PNNL)
Which designs and operations of turbines and infrastructure are the least impactful to fish? The HBET relates data collected by field-based sensors (e.g., Sensor Fish, acoustic telemetry) to biological response models for downstream fish passage at hydropower facilities. This information enables hydropower operators and hydropower turbine designers to the identify risks and physical stressors that may impact fish and come up with alternatives to improve biological performance. As opposed to BioPA, HBET is using direct measurements of water flow conditions, coupled with experimental data to estimate the impacts of hydropower turbines to fish. HBET incorporates several different dose-response relationships, including rapid decompression, shear, and strike. Turbine developers, hydropower owners/operators
Marine Energy Tools and Datasets
There are many tools available to the marine energy community, which can be easily found in the Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMRE). PRIMRE provides centralized access to a variety of marine energy data and information, ranging from power performance data and environmental monitoring reports to device testing guidance and software code. On behalf of WPTO, PRIMRE is maintained by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories.
PRIMRE is made up of multiple unique Knowledge Hubs, each with a distinct type of information and scope, and also provides linkages to several other tools and resources intended to support the growing marine energy community.
PRIMRE, managed by three national laboratories, centralizes and organizes information on marine renewable energy, providing easy access through an online portal.
Video by National Renewable Energy Laboratory