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DOE announces new advanced manufacturing opportunity for hydropower projects

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DOE announces new advanced manufacturing opportunity for hydropower projects
Fixed guide vane for hydropower turbine printed by ORNL (photo credit Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have opened a technical collaboration opportunity for industry partners interested in developing innovative hydropower technologies using advanced materials and manufacturing.

This opportunity, which leverages the lab’s technical collaboration program, will provide selected participants with access to DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, including its experienced staff and equipment and capabilities to demonstrate the application of advanced materials and manufacturing for hydropower.

The hydropower industry relies heavily on traditional manufacturing methods and materials. However, advanced manufacturing and materials have shown immense potential to boost the U.S. manufacturing industry, increase American competitiveness, reshore manufacturing capabilities and revolutionize the energy sector. They also have the potential to alleviate maintenance, environmental and operational challenges at hydropower and manufacturing facilities. For example, additive manufacturing solutions (also known as 3D printing) can reduce manufacturing waste while enabling modern turbine designs.

This technical collaboration opportunity allows companies to experiment with novel approaches to enhance the performance and sustainability of hydropower technologies without committing extensive resources and letting them validate and refine untested ideas. This approach also fosters creativity while mitigating potential risks associated with large-scale investments.

To be eligible, projects must have:

  • Clear application to hydropower technologies.
  • Benefit to the broader U.S. hydropower industry.
  • Clear alignment with WPTO’s Advanced Manufacturing and Materials for Hydropower Strategy and the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility’s R&D scope and scientific interest.

Click here for more details and instructions on how to submit a brief concept abstract. If the concept is within scope, applicants develop project proposals in collaboration with ORNL technical staff. Projects require a 50% cost share, and proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis until funds are expended.

This opportunity is the result of an effort that began in 2022 with a workshop that brought together industry leaders, researchers and academics to discuss challenges facing hydropower and how new technology could help overcome them. ORNL researchers summarized this input in a report, which informed WPTO’s Advanced Manufacturing and Materials for Hydropower Strategy.

The Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, supported by DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, is a nationwide consortium of collaborators working with ORNL to innovate, inspire and catalyze the transformation of U.S. manufacturing.