RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOW IMPACT HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT

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Please review important information below about the EERE Exchange website as it relates to this FOA. A recent study by Oak Ridge National Lab has shown that there is up to 60 GW of new hydropower development potential available in the United States. Most of the available sites come with challenges with regard to environmental and social sustainability and cost effective development. To address these challenges, DOE?s Water Program initiated a new technology program, HydroNEXT to focus on hydropower technology innovation that will foster development of potential new hydropower capacity in the U.S. The HydroNEXT effort continues in 2015, through this FOA, aimed at the development of suitable technologies to overcome environmental, social, and LCOE challenges. DOE will solicit innovative ideas to harness hydropower that can be rapidly built, removed, and replaced when necessary. Applicants will be encouraged to provide new concepts for alternative hydropower systems that will lower costs of civil infrastructure development, can be deployed in a maximum of 2 years with relatively low environmental impacts, and can be removed or replaced after their intended life is completed. These concepts and systems will be able to operate at a cost that is competitive with traditional sources of generation. The three topic areas covered by this FOA are outlined below: Topic Area 1: Design and laboratory testing of new rapidly deployable hydropower technologies that can be easily removed or replaced at the end of their useful life, including, but not limited to, water impounding structures, water conveying systems, and innovative pre-fabricated structures. Topic Area 2: Research on innovative methods and/or materials for construction of conventional hydropower facilities including, but not limited to, concrete alternatives, in-water construction, and innovative advanced tunneling methods. Topic Area 3: Design and laboratory testing of new and innovative conventional hydropower powertrain components such as composite and replaceable blade technologies for turbine runners, new generator technologies, and/or materials and coatings for powertrain components. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is posted on the EERE Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications must be submitted through the EERE Exchange website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE Exchange website. A User Guide for the EERE Exchange website can be found on the website https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx. Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE Exchange website.

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