The projects will advance markets and research to maximize the nation’s largest renewable energy source.
“Hydropower provides our nation with emissions-free, sustainable energy. By improving hydropower technology, we can maximize what is already our biggest source of renewable energy in an environmentally responsible way. These projects will provide critical support for the development of innovative renewable water power technologies and help ensure a vibrant hydropower industry for years to come,” said Secretary Chu.
The selected projects successfully address five topic areas:
Hydropower Grid Services – Selection has been made for a project that develops new methods to quantify and maximize the benefits that conventional hydropower and pumped storage hydropower provide to transmission grids.
University Hydropower Research Program – Selected projects will be for organizations to establish and manage a competitive fellowship program to support graduate students and faculty members engaged in work directly relevant to conventional hydropower or pumped storage hydropower.
Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion Device or Component Design and Development – Selections are for industry-led partnerships to design, model, develop, refine, or test a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device, at full or subscale, or a component of such a device.
Marine and Hydrokinetic Site-specific Environmental Studies – Selected projects are for industry-led teams to perform environmental studies related to the installation, testing, or operation of a marine and hydrokinetic energy conversion device at an open water project site.
Advanced Water Power Market Acceleration Analysis and Assessments – Selections are for a number of energy resource assessments across a number of marine and hydrokinetic resources, as well as life-cycle cost analyses for wave, current and ocean thermal energy conversion technologies.
Projects selected in announcement will focus on updating technologies and methods to improve the performance of conventional hydropower plants. The projects selected for negotiation of awards totaling up to $14.6 million include:
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will further develop and validate the Aquantis Current Plane ocean current turbine technology. The project will validate analytical design tools and develop the technology’s direct drive component.
DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Dehlsen Associates, LLC (Carpinteria, CA) will first develop a bottom habitat survey methodology and siting study approach in accordance with all relevant regulatory agencies in the southeast Florida region; then they will determine the most suitable areas for mooring marine and hydrokinetic facilities based on the distribution of sensitive bottom habitats identified by existing and supplemental surveys.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will develop and demonstrate an innovative approach using industry-proven analyses and modeling tools at the unit level, the plant level, the system level, and the regional/national level, over multiple time scales ranging from seconds to years in order to quantify and maximize the benefits provided by conventional and pumped storage hydroelectric projects to transmission grids.
DOE share: up to $1.5 million; Duration: up to 2 years
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform a comprehensive assessment of existing United States in-stream hydrokinetic resources and the optimal achievable energy conversion rates which could be produced by future hydrokinetic turbine machines from those resources.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Electric Power Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) will perform desktop and laboratory flume studies that will produce information needed to determine the potential for injury and mortality of fish that encounter hydrokinetic turbines of various designs installed in tidal and river environments. Behavioral patterns will also be investigated to assess the potential for disruptions in the upstream and downstream movements of fish.
DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Re Vision Consulting, LLC (Sacramento, CA) will develop life-cycle cost profiles for different site and wave, tidal, ocean current, and in-stream hydrokinetic technology combinations using baseline representative commercial project development data from specific sites.
DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Hydro Research Foundation – DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Georgia Tech Research Corporation – DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Engineering and Energy Systems International, Inc – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Ocean Renewable Power Company – DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Renewable Power Company – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Harris Miller Miller & Hanson – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Free Flow Power Corporation – DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc – DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Pacific Energy Ventures – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Pennsylvania State University – DOE share: up to $1 million; Duration: up to 3 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc – DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years
Columbia Power Technologies, Inc – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation – DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Lockheed Martin Corporation – DOE share: up to $500,000; Duration: up to one year
Public Utility District #1 of Snohomish County – DOE share: up to $600,000; Duration: up to one year
Principle Power, Inc – DOE share: up to $750,000; Duration: up to 2 years.
