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With Energy Department support, French Development Enterprises, LLC, GEI Consultants, and Oldcastle Precast announced the successful construction of the first prototype of a “French Dam.”The prototype technology uses modular design—a term for structures that use multiple standardized components that integrate easily— to significantly cut construction time and cost.

Take a team of hydropower experts from the Energy Department and its national laboratories, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Add close collaboration with federal and state regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and other hydropower industry stakeholders. Top it off with a wiki-based platform of an easy-to-access hydropower permitting and regulatory roadmap that covers everything from small and large conventional hydropower to run-of-river hydropower, in-conduit, and pumped-storage projects information. What do you get?

When thinking of migrating fish, most people’s minds fill with images of majestic salmon vaulting themselves over waterfalls. Few conjure thoughts of the American eel and Pacific lamprey. Although unglamorous, eels and lampreys play a pivotal role in the health of oceanic and riverine ecosystems.

Instrumentation is the Achilles’ heel of testing. Due to the impact that the conditions found in marine environments place on a device’s ability to function in the water, the need to have the most ideal and high-quality measurements is critical to the success of any test being planned. The salty and turbulent nature of the ocean creates a harsh environment that challenges even the best designed instrument. With a vast range of instruments and performance metrics that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, how does one select the best technology to put in the water?

The Hydro Research Foundation’s (HRF) Hydro Fellowship Program allowed outstanding up-and-coming student fellows to conduct hydropower-related research—all made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Ocean wave energy is a developing next-generation technology. Wave energy converters are important for renewable energy development because the wave energy resource in the United States is substantial, and co-located with a large percentage of the population.

With support from the Energy Department and the U.S. Navy, a prototype wave energy device has advanced successfully from initial concept to grid-connected, open-ocean pilot testing. The device, named Azura, was recently launched by Northwest Energy Innovations at a 30-meter test berth at the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Oahu’s Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii.

By 1913, the old mill had become structurally unsound and was demolished and later rebuilt. The family also replaced the water wheel with more efficient twin hydropower turbine and generator units, boosting their local electric supply. As the family-owned business—Weisenberger Mills Inc.—grew and added more equipment through the years, they supplemented their onsite power generation with electricity from the local utility.

The Energy Department’s 2014 Hydropower Market Report was released last month in an effort to provide taxpayers and industry professionals with a snapshot of the growing hydropower industry in the United States. The first-ever report details data collected over the past decade and highlights the continued trend of bolstering the U.S. hydropower fleet and its energy capacity.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), along with its partners the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), received the Department of Interior’s “Partners in Conservation Award.”

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has redesigned the Sensor Fish, a small device deployed to study the conditions faced by fish swimming through hydropower installations.

EERE’s support enabled Northwest Energy Innovations to verify the functionality of its Wave Energy Technology—New Zealand (WET-NZ) device.

Alden hydroelectric will provide a more sustainable option for producing electricity at more than 1,000 estimated environmentally sensitive hydropower facilities and enable hydropower development at thousands of new sites.

EERE's resource assessments show the scope of potential wave, tidal, and current energy development off of U.S. coasts, a technical potential of more than 2,000 TWh per year of clean, renewable electricity.

EERE has released a report assessing likelihood of fish injury and mortality from the operation of hydrokinetic turbines.

Hydropower project produces enough electricity to annually power nearly 100 typical American households.

City of Tacoma expands hydroelectric dam to produce more than 23,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually.

Whitestone Power is working to create electricity from free-flowing rivers in Alaska's harsh climate.

Laboratory testing of new hydrokinetic energy device to harness energy in slow-moving water currents.

Atargis working to demonstrate world's first fully submerged wave energy converter system with 70% efficiency and cost below $0.14 per kilowatt hour.

Ocean Renewable Power Company is studying the effects of tidal power on beluga whales.

The University of Washington is researching tidal energy to maximize the energy extracted and understand potential marine ecosystem impacts.

Free Flow Power is working to enable American utilities to generate power from river sites not suited to conventional hydropower generation.

Columbia Power Technologies, Inc. is working to advance their wave energy buoy to commercial readiness.