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Courtesy of Visit Post Falls
The Department of Energy (DOE) has opened the floodgates, awarding a hefty sum of $71.5 million in incentive payments to bolster 46 hydropower facilities scattered across nineteen states.
Background: The cash infusion is designed to rev up the efficiency and operations for these chosen US hydropower hubs. The funds will be directed towards turbocharging turbines, upgrading generators, fortifying grid resiliency, ensuring dam safety, and mitigating environmental impacts.
All in all, it should boost efficiency by an average of 14 percent. These incentives represent the DOE’s largest single investment in hydropower facilities to date.
Follow the flow: These handpicked installations have been flowing water for an average of 75 years. Some are teetering on the brink of closure due to urgent repair needs and are set to receive a much-needed buoy. It’s expected that the investments will total $468 million from both federal and private investors.
- This financial commitment aligns with President Biden’s ambitious “Investing in America” agenda, aimed at strengthening critical infrastructure and steering the nation towards a clean energy future.
Making waves: Hydropower plays an important role beyond electricity generation. While currently making up 27 percent of renewable electricity generation in the US, pumped hydropower also accounts for 93 percent share of all utility-scale energy storage capacity.
Watt’s next: Investments under the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives will pave the way for a more resilient electric grid system while ensuring continued operation and reliability of the US hydropower fleet. An important feat as the nation charts its course towards grid decarbonization.
+Bonus infographic: The World’s Largest Batteries: Pumped Hydro
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