Water Power Technologies: The Stories Behind the Example Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the stories behind these photos are too interesting not to tell! The images included here are examples of the types of photos appropriate for each category of the contest.

Do you have your own photo of water power in the United States? Enter WPTO's Make a Splash Photo Contest for a chance to win up to $2,000 and be featured in official DOE materials.

Submissions were due by 11:59 p.m. MDT on July 16, 2018.

Category: Overall Hydropower

The Snake River in Washington State is home to the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam which has a capacity of 603 megawatts. In addition to supplying navigation, recreation, and electricity, Ice Harbor Lock and Dam also features a fish ladder that allows fish to pass through the dam safely. Improvements made to the dam to ensure safe passage for juvenile salmon and adult lamprey include the installation of a spillway weir, a fish ladder, and other modifications to help fish upstream. DOE recently announced awarded projects for innovative upstream and downstream fish passage solutions.

Category: Overall Marine Energy

A wave energy converter in the water, with mountains and the sun shining through the clouds in the background.

Northwest Energy Innovations' Azura device was deployed from 2015-2016 for the first grid-connected test of a wave energy converter (WEC) in the United States. Azura is a point absorber WEC that converts the lateral and vertical motion of the ocean into electricity. During its test at the U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) in Hawaii, Azura was monitored to evaluate the long-term performance of a grid-connected WEC device in the open ocean. Lessons learned during this deployment have informed later WEC tests. Read more about Azura on EERE Success Stories here.

Category: Recreational Hydropower

A kayaker paddles in the water in front of the water pouring off a dam.

A kayaker enjoys the gentle rapids created by the St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis, MN, an Army Corps of Engineers project that was built in 1956. During times of heavy snowfall, the lockmaster will close the dams to recreational traffic as any river flow exceeding 30,000 cubic feet per second is too high for safe recreational use. However, when the river flow falls below this threshold, it provides recreational opportunities for local kayakers and others looking to enjoy the outdoors. Read more about the St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam here.

Category: Community/Local Hydropower

An old mill with water flowing over turbines in front of a wintry sunset.

Weisenberger Mill has been using water power to grind grains since 1862, but in 2013, it became completely powered by hydroelectricity thanks to a $56,000 Department of Energy award that was used to install a variable speed drive turbine. With the addition of this improved turbine that can adjust its speed with the changing flow of the river, the mill grinds over 1,000 bushels of grain each week using only the power of the water.

Category: STEM/Educational Opportunities of Water Power

Three children playing on a rocky riverbank.

In July of 2013, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tested the 23 spillway gates of the J. Strom Thurmond Dam to the delight of an estimated 1,000 people in Clarks Hill, South Carolina. This test took place as part of routine procedures under the Corps' Dam Safety Program, which tests spillway gates to ensure that they could be opened effectively during an emergency. Adults and children alike gathered to watch the impressive release of water. Learn more about the dam here.

Category: Jobs/Economic Development of Water Power

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife employee applying a tag to an eel.

David Sutherland of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Daniel Deng of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory participate in an eel tagging project where they tagged over 100 eels with acoustic transmitter tags. These tags enable the tracking of the eels' migration through the Potomac River to the Sargasso Sea. If the eels don't complete this migration, the freshwater mussels that rely on eel gills to travel upstream will not migrate either, which disrupts the natural ecosystem and results in dirtier water. With these tags, scientists can keep track of the success of eel migrations through the dams and ensure that hydroelectricity can be produced while still maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

Category: Research and Development of New Water Power Technologies

Closeup of a gloved hand holding two transparent plastic tubes full of sensors.

The two plastic tubes pictured above give scientists a big insight into what a fish might experience when swimming through a hydropower facility. Packed with sensors, Sensorfish records information about the physical stresses that a fish experiences while navigating currents from dam turbines. Researchers successfully field-tested the new and improved Sensor Fish in two Washington state dams: Ice Harbor on the Snake River and Boundary on the Pend Oreille River. Not only can Sensorfish be sent through a dam to see what conditions a fish would experience, lab tests also showed the second-generation device worked well after facing up to 600 times the force of gravity, demonstrating its resilience and ability to record data test after test. For more information, visit the lab page here and read the EERE success story article here.