WASHINGTON, DC — The selected projects should help strengthen the Us electric grid with more variable renewable energy resources.
The US Department of Energy has announced $8 million in funding to support projects that will improve the flexibility of the US hydropower fleet and enhance electric grid reliability. According to the Department, these projects should strengthen hydropower’s ability to support an evolving electric grid that includes an increasing amount of variable renewable energy sources.
“The hydropower fleet is well suited to help integrate more renewable energy while ensuring the electric grid remains reliable and resilient,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “Hydropower already supports our grid by providing energy generation and storage, and these projects will enhance these contributions while helping us reach our climate goals,” she added.
“This new wave of DOE grants brings us ever closer to the bright, blue horizon of a clean energy economy,” said U.S. Senator Ed Markey (MA). “By investing in the ingenuity and innovation of these organizations, we can develop the systems we need to more responsibly and efficiently harbor and generate renewable, clean power from our waters and natural resources.”
According to the Department of Energy, the selected projects should support the Water Power Technologies Office’s HydroWIRES Initiative, which seeks to understand, enable, and improve hydropower’s contributions to reliability, resilience, and integration in the rapidly evolving U.S. electricity system.
Source: US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy