A US Department of Energy-funded project titled Biologically Based Design and Evaluation of Hydropower Turbines (BioDE) has developed modeling tools and data to inform the design and installation of more environmentally friendly hydropower turbines. A market assessment was conducted to identify prospective users of these products within the hydropower industry and regulatory community. The dataset of hydropower turbines and their defining characteristics (both physical and biological) was developed to refine program outreach and marketing associated with the BioDE tools and data. A specific objective of the analysis was to identify hydropower owners whose turbines could be likely candidates for refurbishing or replacement because of senescence or re-licensing. This report describes a dataset that combines turbine properties, licensing status, fish resources, and ownership information on nearly 5,500 turbines at nearly 2,200 hydropower projects throughout the United States. The data analysis categorizes turbines by design type, geographic region, owner, age, license expiration, fish species presence, and regulatory authority. The analysis identified federal and nonfederal (i.e., Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-licensed) owners with the most turbines of various types and the most turbines that have the potential to interact with fish species of concern.
Author: M. S. Bevelhimer, C. R. DeRolph
Funding Source: U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office