The U.S. Department of Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority recently signed a memorandum of understanding to advance collaborations on hydropower technology development.
The agreement focuses on evaluating different methods for operating hydropower plants to meet the changing needs of the electricity grid, according to a March 14 news release. The memorandum of understanding also involves the Energy Department's Water Power Technologies Office and its national laboratory partners, quantifying the value of hydropower and pumped storage facilities for the electricity grid and using advanced modeling to forecast the impact of climate change on TVA's hydropower systems.
“Today’s hydropower fleet has a crucial role to play in achieving the United States’ clean energy goals, but strategies for operating those plants will have to evolve as more renewable energy resources come onto the grid,” WPTO Director Jennifer Garson said in the release. “WPTO and TVA have been working together to advance hydropower technologies over the last several years, and this MOU is an important step in formalizing and building on those activities.”
“TVA is a pioneer in clean hydropower technology — completing our first energy-producing dam in Norris, Tenn., in 1936, and investing today in our hydroelectric fleet to build the energy system of the future that will help continue to reduce carbon emissions,” Dr. Joe Hoagland, vice president of TVA Innovation and Research, said in the news release. “We appreciate this partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy as we look to advance hydropower technologies that will not only provide affordable, reliable, resilient and sustainable energy, but also bring jobs and investment to the seven-state region we serve.”
Under the new agreement, WPTO and its national laboratory partners "will focus on quantifying the value hydropower and pumped storage facilities provide to the electricity grid and applying advanced modeling to predict the effects of climate change on TVA's hydropower systems," the news release said. "They will also work to understand how fleetwide data can inform plant-level decisions, such as when to conduct maintenance activities."
