U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Water Power Program

The Water Power Program researches, tests, evaluates, and develops innovative technologies capable of generating renewable, environmentally responsible, and cost-effective electricity from water resources. This includes hydropower as well as marine & hydrokinetic energy technologies.

Screenshot from the video reading, 'Energy 101: Hydroelectric Power. For more information, visit: eere.energy.gov.'

Hydro 101 Video

The Energy Department has released the Hydropower 101 video to explain how hydropower works, along with some recent developments in cutting edge technology facilitated by the Water Power Program.

A map depicting U.S. hydropower potential.

Top Ten Things You Didn't Know About Hydropower

Learn about the history of hydropower, the different methods used for electricity generation, the flexibility of hydropower technologies, and more by reading Energy.gov's newest piece in the 'Top Things you Didn't Know About…' series.

Read more.

The OceanSentinel MHK testing unit in deployment, showing a floating station located in the middle of the ocean.

MHK New Funding Opportunity Announcement and Notices of Intent

DOE intends to fund environmental effects assessment, systems performance advancement, and testing infrastructure development for marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies.

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Photo of Bear Swamp Hydroelectric Power Station, with a reservoir located in the heart of a wooded, hilly area.

Report: Assessing Improvements to U.S. Hydropower

A new DOE-funded study by the Electric Power Research Institute determines benefits from potential improvements to hydropower facilities through incorporating ancillary services, pumped storage, and operational changes.

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Screenshot of the OpenEI Water Power Gateway Web page.

Water Gateway Launched on Open Energy Info

DOE has created a page of water power-related information on the online knowledge-sharing wiki, OpenEI, allowing the water power community to contribute and share resources.

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