WATER POWER TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE
Small Business Selected To Receive $1 Million to Advance Environmental Technology for Hydropower Facilities

The U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) announced $1 million in funding for River Connectivity Systems (RCS) to support the development of its environmental technology for hydropower facilities. This technology could support water quality requirements downstream from dams and provide a barrier to the movement of invasive fish species.

Hydropower provides nearly 6% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation and about 27% of the country's total utility-scale renewable electricity generation, providing power to communities across the country. Currently, operators at hydropower facilities use several strategies to control water temperature and meet other water quality requirements immediately downstream from dams. For example, the controlled release of water can help maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems, protect fish populations, and ensure downstream water quality. 

As an alternative to existing strategies, RCS designed an innovative, low-cost technology that operators can adjust to release water from different depths in a reservoir depending on whether warmer or cooler water needs to be released downstream to meet environmental requirements. It also incorporates barriers for fish passage or exclusion to limit the movement of invasive species.

RCS proved the concept with numerical modeling in its Phase I award through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. RCS also identified a design and manufacturing strategy for its technology that uses commercial, off-the-shelf materials and is rapidly deployable. 

In its SBIR Phase III project, RCS plans to complete numerical and potentially physical modeling to inform a final system design and further explore manufacturing and constructability constraints. The company will also produce a model and detailed design to assess costs, constraints, and feasibility for installing the technology at a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dam. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation supports this innovation and has been identified as a potential partner for demonstration, technology transfer, and commercialization.

Learn more about the SBIR program.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicant will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.