Energy Department selects 14 hydropower projects for testing support

“By pairing industry innovators with leading US test facilities and technical expertise, HyTN accelerates the development of next-generation technologies that keep hydropower reliable and abundant,” said H2O Director, Nichole Fitzgerald.

Hydropower remains an important pillar of America's energy mix, accounting for nearly 6% of the country’s total utility scale electricity generation. Modernising existing hydropower plants and implementing new technologies will help the US meet its growing energy demand and drive down energy prices. By providing access to a wide range of testing capabilities, HyTN accelerates the development of hydropower innovations and helps ensure the US can maintain and grow its hydropower systems.

This is the second round of selections from HyTN, which offers access to more than 65 specialised physical testing and modeling capabilities ranging from hydraulic and biological testing to techno-economic analysis. The technology developers selected for this cohort have been matched with these capabilities, pending negotiations, based on their testing needs. The 14 selected projects are:

• Dry Surface Technologies, LLC, based in Guthrie, Oklahoma, will work alongside Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to scale up the production of a non-toxic antifouling coating to a pilot scale manufacturing process, providing a less expensive, non-toxic alternative for preventing clogged components, and reducing facility repairs.
• Emrgy, Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia, will demonstrate the prototype of a low-head turbine technology platform designed to generate energy from man-made water infrastructure like irrigation canals.
• GenH, Inc., based in Somerville, Massachusetts, will test a rapidly deployable, low-impact technology to generate electricity from existing non-powered dams at the University of Minnesota. Results will inform a predictive framework that will help quickly design custom systems for different dams.
• Hydro Green Energy, LLC, based in Birmingham, Alabama, will work with the National Laboratory of the Rockies to develop a grid-focused economic analysis for a pumped storage hydropower project at an existing dam and reservoir, facilitating advancement towards licensing and construction.
• Kingsbury, Inc., based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is investigating an advanced thermoplastic polymer as a possible bearing material for use in hydropower generators, continuing its work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) from the first round of HyTN.
• Nucleic Sensing Systems, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, will validate its real-time environmental DNA (eDNA) sensor, which monitors water for the presence of fresh, dissolved eDNA and distinguishes it from stale or transported eDNA.
• Prometheus Innovations, LLC, based in Lafayette, Louisiana, will continue their work from the first round of HyTN, collaborating with PNNL to assess a coating that prevents harmful aquatic growth like invasive mussels and brown algae.
• Prometheus Innovations, LLC will also work with PNNL to test an underwater net coating that can attract or repel fish to prevent them from swimming into water intake structures.
• Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, based in Wenatchee, Washington, will evaluate self-lubricating, grease-free wicket gate stem bushings at PNNL’s tribo-logical test facility, determining its effectiveness for upgrading hydropower infrastructure.
• Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County will also work with PNNL to validate a low-temperature ‘cold spray’ technique to repair worn hydropower turbine components on site without using heat.
• Radmantis, based in Toledo, Ohio, will use Verdantas’ Fish Passage Survival and Behavior Steel Testing Flume Facility to continue their work from the first round of HyTN, evaluating whether mechanically guided fish entrainment improves AI-based selective fish passage at hydropower facilities.
• RCAM Technologies, Inc. DBA Sperra, based in Boulder, Colorado, will work with Polaris EcoSystems to advance a 3D-printed subsea pumped storage hydropower system that stores electricity in hollow concrete spheres on the seafloor.
• University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, based in Seattle, Washington, will collaborate with PNNL to assess the reliability and durability of a small, low-cost sensor designed to monitor water quality for hydropower and pumped storage facilities in a more economically feasible way.
• VBASE Oil Company, based in Pendleton, South Carolina, will continue their work from the first round of HyTN, collaborating with ORNL to test a lubricant for use in hydropower facilities.

The HyTN voucher opportunity is funded by H2O and managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through a partnership intermediary agreement set up by DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization.

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