US Department of Energy announces $28 million to advance pumped hydro storage

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced three funding opportunities worth more than $28 million to support research and development projects that will advance and preserve hydropower as a critical source of clean energy.

Through the Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the funding will support the expansion of low-impact hydropower (such as the retrofit of dams that don’t generate electricity) and pumped storage hydropower, the development of new pumped storage hydropower facilities, and engagement with key voices on issues such as hydropower facility modernization, sustainability, and environmental impacts. The inflation reduction bill also includes a standalone tax credit for energy storage, which will further enhance the economic appeal of pumped storage hydropower. Hydropower will be a key clean energy source to transition away from fossil fuels and achieve the Administration’s goals of 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and a net zero carbon economy by 2050.

“Hydropower has long provided Americans with vital, reliable energy, and now it will play a critical role in achieving energy independence and protecting our climate,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden’s agenda is funding critical innovations to harness the promise of hydropower and ensure communities have a voice in building America’s clean energy future.”

Hydropower accounts for 31.5% of U.S. renewable electricity generation and about 6.3% of total U.S. electricity generation, while pumped hydro accounts for 93% of U.S. utility-scale energy storage, ensuring homes and businesses have access to power when they need it.

Funding opportunities include:

- Promote sustainable development of hydropower and pumped storage by encouraging innovative solutions for non-powered dam retrofits, developing and testing technologies to mitigate challenges in pumped storage deployment, and providing opportunities to support hydropower R&D for organizations not extensively involved in DOE’s Hydropower Technologies Office. ($14.5 million)

- Support research to facilitate the licensing and eventual construction and commissioning of new pumped hydroelectric storage facilities to facilitate long-duration storage of intermittent renewable electricity. ($10 million)

- To promote discussion among different hydropower stakeholders on issues such as modernization of U.S. hydropower facilities, sustainability of the hydropower system, and the impact of hydropower facilities on the environment and find a path forward. (Amount of funding: $4 million)

(Source: DOE Global Energy Storage Network, New Energy Network Comprehensive)