US DOE to provide $72 million to improve hydropower efficiency

• 10 months ago (2024-02-09)
• David Flin

Hydropower 134 North America 1027

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The US Department of Energy (DOE) is providing $71.5 million in incentive payments for 46 hydropower projects across 19 states in the US to improve generation efficiency.

The DOE said in a news release: “The owners or operators of hydroelectric facilities, including pumped storage hydropower, receiving the efficiency incentives announced today, will make capital improvements that improve their facility’s efficiency by an average of 14 per cent with a statutory minimum of 3 per cent improvement per facility.”

The 46 selected projects may choose to upgrade turbines and generators, as well as improve water conveyance structures, the DOE said.

The DOE announcement noted that hydropower accounts for 27 per cent of the country’s renewable power generation, as well as 93 per cent of utility-scale energy storage capacity.