Hydropower is the nation's premier renewable energy resource from a cost, emissions and reliability perspective. However, due to its quiet, long history and relative success it has been taken for granted in public policy debates.
In a whitepaper released on April 2, 2019, the National Hydropower Association and Chelan PUD issued a call to action, identifying six recommendations, covering a range of issues including market design, public policy and regulatory processes:
- Design markets that value hydropower services
- Choose technology-neutral policies that achieve societal goals for carbon reduction
- Improve the hydropower licensing process
- Improve hydro project performance
- Expand the options for state contracting practices to improve long-term hydropower life-cycle planning
Read the full whitepaper: Reinvigorating Hydropower
Hydropower, America's first renewable electricity source, has room to grow.
Through the Hydropower Vision Report, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office has led a first-of-its-kind comprehensive analysis to evaluate future pathways for low-carbon, renewable hydropower (hydropower generation and pumped storage) in the United States, focused on continued technical evolution, increased energy market value, and environmental sustainability.