NEW PATHWAYS REPORT

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The Hydropower Foundation has announced the publication of the “New Pathways for Hydropower: Getting Hydropower Built—What Does It Take?” The purpose of the report is to identify technological innovations that will decrease the expense and time required to deploy new hydropower in the United States. This report identifies 31 technological ideas. Several of the ideas address the need to nurture hydropower-specific innovation and education. Although the focus of this report is new small hydropower, many of the ideas presented herein are applicable to hydropower development in general. The ideas are grouped into eight categories:
· Improved Tools for Siting, Prequalification, and Feasibility Determination
· New and Improved Design Tools—Guidelines and Standards
· Improved Access to Design-related Information—Online Toolboxes and Databases
· New Hydropower-Specific Education, Training, and Outreach
· Advanced and Improved Technology, Materials, and Manufacturing
· Standardized and Modular Designs
· New and Improved Electrical Standards and Practices
· Tools for Commissioning, Operation, and Maintenance
“The ideas in this report, if implemented, have the potential to greatly reduce deployment cost and time through efficient designs, manufacturing, permitting and licensing, installation, commissioning, operations, and maintenance,” said Deborah Linke, Executive Director of the Foundation. “This is an exciting compilation of ideas from an experienced group of well-regarded industry professionals with deep knowledge of what it takes to envision and complete a successful project,” she continued.
This report is part of the New Hydropower Innovation Collaborative (NHIC), a partnership between the Hydro Research Foundation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Program. New hydropower presents a substantial opportunity for increased electric generation, improvements in grid security and stability, and increased economic development. The report is available on line on the Foundation’s website at www.hydrofoundation.org
Technological innovations are the subject of this report. Innovative policy alternatives will be addressed in a separate policy alternative report. The NHIC also includes development of a web-based technology catalog containing project-specific and vendor and technology information which will be useful to the new small-hydropower community.
The Hydropower Foundation has announced the publication of the “New Pathways for Hydropower: Getting Hydropower Built—What Does It Take?” The purpose of the report is to identify technological innovations that will decrease the expense and time required to deploy new hydropower in the United States. This report identifies 31 technological ideas. Several of the ideas address the need to nurture hydropower-specific innovation and education. Although the focus of this report is new small hydropower, many of the ideas presented herein are applicable to hydropower development in general. The ideas are grouped into eight categories:
· Improved Tools for Siting, Prequalification, and Feasibility Determination
· New and Improved Design Tools—Guidelines and Standards
· Improved Access to Design-related Information—Online Toolboxes and Databases
· New Hydropower-Specific Education, Training, and Outreach
· Advanced and Improved Technology, Materials, and Manufacturing
· Standardized and Modular Designs
· New and Improved Electrical Standards and Practices
· Tools for Commissioning, Operation, and Maintenance
“The ideas in this report, if implemented, have the potential to greatly reduce deployment cost and time through efficient designs, manufacturing, permitting and licensing, installation, commissioning, operations, and maintenance,” said Deborah Linke, Executive Director of the Foundation. “This is an exciting compilation of ideas from an experienced group of well-regarded industry professionals with deep knowledge of what it takes to envision and complete a successful project,” she continued.
This report is part of the New Hydropower Innovation Collaborative (NHIC), a partnership between the Hydro Research Foundation and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Program. New hydropower presents a substantial opportunity for increased electric generation, improvements in grid security and stability, and increased economic development. The report is available on line on the Foundation’s website at www.hydrofoundation.org
Technological innovations are the subject of this report. Innovative policy alternatives will be addressed in a separate policy alternative report. The NHIC also includes development of a web-based technology catalog containing project-specific and vendor and technology information which will be useful to the new small-hydropower community.