A modeling study shows that adding batteries to a dam could decrease the wear and tear on hydropower turbines and open up new opportunities for dam operators to earn revenue.

This study used historical data, remote sensing, and aquatic sensors to measure how far wildfire impacts propagated through the watershed after the 2022 Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire, New Mexico’s largest wildfire in history.

The Coastal Observations, Mechanisms, and Predictions Across Systems and Scales: Field, Measurements, and Experiments project established a network of observational field sites across Chesapeake Bay and western Lake Erie.

A new analysis shows how renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower respond to climate patterns, and how utilities can use this data to save money and invest in energy storage.

A new digital twin platform can help hydropower dam operators by providing accurate and predictive models of physical turbines that improve facilities and enhance reliability.

Although climate change may bring increased precipitation to many parts of the United States, some areas may face drier conditions and lower streamflow, resulting in decreased hydropower generation.

New methodological approach demonstrates how to assess the economic value, including non-traditional value streams, of converting non-powered dams to hydroelectric facilities.

New research identifies the most important factors in successful fish passage, pointing toward new options for flexible dam operations.

A PNNL study developed a water management module for Xanthos that distinguishes between the operational characteristics of hydropower, irrigation, and flood control reservoirs.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory launches the Training Outreach and Recruitment for Cybersecurity Hydropower program at the University of Texas at El Paso.

A new tool helps identify non-powered dams across the country that are top candidates for conversion to power-generating hydroelectric facilities.

Developed with community input, the new Hydropower Vision Roadmap lays out a path to achieve a shared vison for modern hydropower by 2050.

PNNL’s Nick Ward has been honored with the American Geophysical Union’s Thomas Hilker Early Career Award.

PNNL will lead support to one of six community teams chosen today by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a total of up to $25 million.

The diversity and function of organic matter in rivers at a large scale are influenced by factors, such as the types of vegetation covering the land, the energy characteristics, and the breakdown potential of the molecules.

Fish biologist Brenda Pracheil has been named chair of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute focused on reduction of impacts of hydropower dams on the environment.

Despite severe drought, a new report shows that hydropower remains a strong and steadfast contributor of renewable energy in the West.

Diefenderfer, Earth scientist who focuses on coastal ecosystems at PNNL, recently published “Ten Years of Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Projects Since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,” a cover article.

New research simulates power demand, supply, and cost in a hotter, drier climate.

ICON science is a Department of Energy-developed framework to enhance scientific outcomes via more intentional design of research efforts across all domains of science.