The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in early 2023 to enhance collaboration on hydropower technology development. Joint efforts focus on evaluating and demonstrating different approaches for operating hydropower plants to meet the electricity grid’s changing needs.
Under this MOU, WPTO and its national laboratory partners 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. They also work to understand how fleetwide data can inform plant-level decisions, such as when to conduct maintenance activities.
TVA’s activities under the MOU focus on applying techniques and technologies that allow its hydropower system to adapt to the changing needs of the Tennessee Valley and the broader electricity industry. This may involve demonstrations of more mature technologies anticipated for near-term, utility-scale deployment.
TVA’s hydroelectric system comprises 29 power-generating dams throughout the Tennessee River system and a pumped storage plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Since signing the MOU, WPTO and TVA developed an action plan that lays out projects for collaboration related to the MOU’s seven topic areas. These topic areas include:
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Hydropower Fleet Asset Management
- Valuation of Hydropower
- Pumped Storage
- New Turbine Demonstration
- Workforce Development
- Emerging Opportunities
Review the MOU and action plan for more details.