Energy Department Releases New Hydropower Vision Report and $9.8 Million in Hydropower Funding The Energy Department on July 26 released a new report looking at the future of hydropower through 2050. The report, Hydropower Vision: A New Chapter for America's First Renewable Electricity Source, finds that with continued technology advancements, innovative market mechanisms, and a focus on environmental sustainability, hydropower in the United States could grow from 101 gigawatts (GW) to nearly 150 GW of combined electricity generation and storage capacity by 2050. The report also addresses key advances in pumped-storage which can create an additional 36 GW of capacity, more than doubling the current capacity of 21.6 GW in the United States. As more of the nation's electricity comes from wind and solar energy, hydropower and pumped-storage hydropower resources can provide the flexibility and reliability the electricity grid needs to deliver affordable clean energy to American homes and businesses. The report highlights the current and future public health and environmental benefits of hydropower. Between now and 2050, hydropower could save $209 billion from avoided damages from greenhouse gas emissions, $58 billion from avoided healthcare costs and economic damages due to air pollution, and 30 trillion gallons of water that would otherwise be used for steam generation or power plant cooling. See the Hydropower Vision executive summary. The Energy Department also announced $9.8 million in available funding for up to 12 projects to develop innovative technologies that will reduce capital costs and deployment timelines for pumped-storage hydropower and non-powered dams. The pumped-storage projects will study the feasibility of innovative concepts for closed-loop pumped-storage hydropower systems. See the Energy Department news release. Obama Administration Announces Federal, Private Sector Actions to Accelerate EV Adoption The Obama administration on July 21 announced a set of actions from the federal government, private sector, and states, as well as a new framework for collaboration for vehicle manufacturers, electric utilities, electric vehicle charging companies, and states, to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and put more EVs on the road. Forged by the White House in partnership with Energy Department and the Department of Transportation, the Air Force and the Army, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the collaboration is centered on a set of guiding principles signed by nearly 50 organizations. The actions include: -
Unlocking up to $4.5 billion in loan guarantees and inviting applications to support the commercial-scale deployment of innovative EV charging facilities. -
Launching the FAST Act process to identify zero emission and alternative fuel corridors, including for EV charging across the country. -
Leveraging the power of data and hosting an "Electric Vehicle Hackathon" to discover insights and develop new solutions for EV charging. See the Energy Department news release. On July 22, the Energy Department and the American Public Power Association (APPA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ensuring collaborative efforts to electrify personal and fleet transportation in public power communities throughout the United States. This partnership builds on the President's goal and the Energy Department's EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to develop plug-in electric vehicles by 2022 that are as affordable as a 2012 gasoline-powered vehicle. The MOU advances mutual interests to increase the economic, environmental, and national security benefits of using electricity as a transportation fuel and expanding the EV market by bringing utilities directly into the fold. Through this agreement, the Energy Department and APPA will pursue collaborative efforts to advance EV adoption and charging infrastructure deployment for private vehicles, commercial fleets, transportation for passengers and commerce, and other efforts that will help displace petroleum with grid-sourced electricity as a transportation fuel. The APPA represents not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities that power homes, businesses, and streets in nearly 2,000 towns and cities, serving 48 million customers. See the Energy Department news release. Energy Department Invests $3 Million to Advance Geothermal Exploration The Energy Department announced on July 27 the selection of three new geothermal research and development projects to receive a total of $3 million in federal funding under the Department's Subsurface Technology and Engineering Research, Development, and Demonstration Crosscut initiative. The projects are: -
Baylor University in Waco, Texas, the University of Nevada–Reno, and another partner will advance the state of the art in geothermal exploration and monitoring through the development of new computer hardware and software. -
The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, and two partners will advance geothermal energy development by improving technologies that map fluid-bearing, permeable subsurface fractures connected to high-temperature heat sources. -
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and two partners will work to advance the imaging and characterization of geothermal permeability. The Energy Department also announced $8.5 million in funding for five projects designed to deploy technologies or techniques associated with near-surface or subsurface monitoring at a large- or commercial-scale site for validation. See the Energy Department news release. |
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