OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

“We are examining environmentally and economically sustainable 

ways to strengthen the hydropower industry and relieve supply chain 

bottlenecks using advanced manufacturing and testing capabilities.”  

— Water Resources Science & Engineer Mirko Musa

Water Power Technologies

3D-printed 

turbine component

IMPROVING

reliability and 

performance

BOOSTING

grid integration 

and markets 

EXAMINING

hydrology and 

climate

SUPPORTING

biodiversity and 

ecosystems

ADVANCING

hydraulics and 

water management

Hydropower accounts for almost 7% of total electricity generation and is the largest source of utility-scale energy storage in the 

country. With millions of miles of rivers and lakes, the nation stands poised to increase renewable energy production through 

innovative water power technologies. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) R&D activities aim to provide solutions for more reliable, 

resilient, sustainable, and affordable electric power sources, infrastructure, and systems.

Research and Development

ORNL’s water power technologies efforts focus on developing innovative 

hydropower, enhancing hydropower’s contributions to the 

resilience and reliability of the nation’s electric power 

grid, and studying ways to reduce environmental 

impacts and improve the regulatory process for 

hydropower. These research efforts leverage 

ORNL strengths in data analytics, highperformance computing, materials science, 

environmental science, and advanced 

manufacturing. Focus areas include

Decision-making tools—Providing 

tools and technologies to assist with 

design and real-time optimization of 

hydropower generation that reduce 

cost, increase efficiency, and enhance 

hydropower contribution to the US 

electric power grid

Data analytics and modeling—

Generating key data and models that enable 

new R&D and improve the operations, value, and 

sustainability of entire fleets of hydropower facilities

Early-stage technologies—Developing new composite 

turbine designs, floating membrane reservoirs, and pumped-storage 

technologies to accelerate the growth of US hydropower generation
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle LLC for the US Department of Energy January 2023

Recent Impacts

Climate change—Projecting future climate and water availability to support 

long-term resource planning

National hydropower map—Showcasing hydropower resources 

across the country

Standard modular hydropower—Advancing ecologically compatible, 

cost-optimized technology designs for small-footprint hydropower generation

HydroSource tools—Providing easy access to key information about 

national streams, existing infrastructure, and potential new hydropower sites

Hydropower fleet intelligence—Enabling hydropower owners to 

benchmark cost, reliability, and equipment, driving continuous improvement

Hydropower Market Report—Offering a comprehensive picture of trends 

shaping the industry

Additive manufacturing—Exploring innovative hydropower technologies 

with cost-reduction potential in collaboration with industry

Pumped-storage technologies—Developing new systems such as 

membrane reservoirs to increase flexibility and reduce the costs of installing 

new hydroelectric energy storage

Hydropower resource assessment—Evaluating the potential for new 

hydropower generation leveraging non-powered dams and water conduits

Biodiversity monitoring—Characterizing changes in fish populations and 

passage through waterways using new technologies such as eDNA

Report on testing—Identifying needs and benefits of accessible testing to 

validate new water power technologies 

CONTACT

Shih-Chieh Kao, 

Water Power program manager

kaos@ornl.gov

865-576-1259

One Bethel Valley Road, 

Oak Ridge, TN 37831

ornl.gov/

waterpower

An ORNL team developed numerical models to 

simulate and assess environmental conditions 

at federal hydropower facilities across 

the United States.