ENERGY SECURITYAdvancing Hydropower Innovation for a Modern Electric Grid
Hydropower has long been a core resource for the U.S. electric grid. At Argonne, computer modeling and analysis are helping to shape the industry’s future by helping to optimize dam operations, integrate hydropower into modern energy systems, and mentor students.
On August 24, National Hydropower Day recognized an energy source that has fueled the United States for over 140 years. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has been integral in meeting demand for hydropower for over three decades. Today, Argonne is helping to ready the next wave of U.S. hydropower.
The lab has developed computer models to aid in planning and forecasting hydropower that are now used widely in over 20 countries. Beyond providing research insights and expert guidance in deploying this powerful energy resource, Argonne researchers are preparing tomorrow’s workforce by mentoring students to tackle real-world challenges and create hydropower resources tailored to 21st century electricity systems.
“Hydropower is a tremendous resource — one that supports reliable, affordable power across the country and holds vast potential to bolster America’s grid,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright in July as the United States extended a commitment to collaboration in water power research and development with Norway’s Royal Ministry of Energy.
Hydropower for a Modern, Reliable Electric Grid
Hydropower works by harnessing energy from the flow of rivers and other bodies of water. Accounting for over nearly 6% of total U.S. electricity generation and more than 28% of electricity from renewables in 2022, hydroelectric plants are also a critical way to store energy. Most U.S. commercial energy storage is provided by pumped storage hydropower, which uses a difference in elevation between two bodies of water to generate electricity on demand. Pumped storage hydropower provides over 90% of all utility-scale energy storage in the U.S.
Argonne’s hydropower expertise, which includes advanced modeling, simulation, and optimization techniques, supports optimizing the operations of existing plants and informs the building of new ones. The computer models predict energy output, assess environmental impacts and improve operational efficiency.
At the Glen Canyon Dam, a major hydropower facility on the Colorado River, Argonne research is helping to balance energy production with ecological sustainability, particularly minimizing impacts on downstream fisheries.
The Glen Canyon Dam project is one of several DOE Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) projects across the country aimed at modernizing and strengthening the nation’s robust water power resources. Projects like these involve partnerships with utilities and industry to develop tools for better hydropower integration and boost hydropower’s role in stabilizing the grid during peak demand periods.
“The rise of supercomputing and artificial intelligence have made this an exciting time in water power research,” said Vladimir Koritarov, director of Argonne’s electric power systems department in the Energy Systems and Infrastructure Assessment division. “We are producing ever more sophisticated simulations that deliver faster analysis on how to make hydropower plants more flexible, resilient and efficient.”
Argonne also has designed a scaled-down physical model to demonstrate the principles of pumped storage hydropower, exploring ways to optimize energy storage and retrieval processes for maximum efficiency. The model is designed to be highly portable so that it can be taken to schools and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fairs to demonstrate pumped storage hydropower’s role as a “water battery.”
In a recent WPTO-funded, hands-on educational program at Argonne, high school students learned about hydropower and saw the pumped storage model in action. The program was geared toward inspiring students to pursue opportunities in STEM. In one project, two students worked with Dongwei Zhao, an energy systems engineer at Argonne, to analyze hydropower’s role in power system operations from economic and environmental perspectives.
“I thought water and electricity don’t mix,” said one of the students, Lauri Wilson. “But when I saw the pumped storage hydropower model … I understood how renewable energy is generated. My mind was blown.”
Another pair of students worked with mentor Matija Pavicevic, another Argonne energy systems engineer, to calculate the maximum power that the Glen Canyon Dam could generate without harming downstream fisheries. One of the students, Gabriel Puello, “went above and beyond the case study I’d assigned by creating an entire sensitivity analysis,” Pavicevic said. “He’s a remarkable go-getter with a bright future ahead of him.”
Mentor Siyuan Wang, another Argonne energy systems engineer, worked with all four students.
“The program really brought out their strengths — Lauri’s great sense of math, her teammate’s unique thinking perspectives, Gabriel’s strong research capabilities and his teammate’s amazing presentation skills,” Wang said. “They honed their ability to think scientifically to solve problems, which will serve them well in their future careers.”
“Hydropower is vital to realizing U.S. energy goals,” said Jessica Burgess, STEM education partnerships and outreach manager at Argonne. “For us to continue harnessing this reliable source of energy, we must invest in the next generation of talent.”
