WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant push to modernize and secure the future of America’s renewable energy infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O) has announced the selection of 14 hydropower projects. These developers are now poised to begin formal negotiations for in-kind support vouchers through the Hydropower Testing Network (HyTN).
This strategic initiative pairs cutting-edge industry innovators directly with premier U.S. testing facilities and national laboratories. By bridging the gap between concept and commercialization, the program aims to accelerate the deployment of next-generation hydropower technologies, ensuring that an essential pillar of the nation’s clean energy grid remains abundant, reliable, and resilient.
Main Facts: Accelerating Next-Gen Hydropower Through HyTN
The newly selected cohort represents the second major wave of funding and resource distribution under the HyTN banner. Through this program, chosen technology developers gain access to a network of 21 specialized testing facilities across the United States.
The network offers more than 65 specialized physical testing and modeling capabilities. These range from advanced hydraulic and biological testing to comprehensive techno-economic analyses. By leveraging these world-class resources, developers can de-risk their technologies, optimize designs, and navigate regulatory and engineering hurdles much faster than they could independently.
- Program Focus: Modernization of existing hydropower plants, integration of novel technological solutions, and enhancement of overall equipment reliability.
- Scale of Impact: Hydropower currently accounts for nearly 6% of the total utility-scale electricity generation in the United States, making it the country’s single largest source of renewable electricity generation.
- Strategic Value: According to the DOE, modernizing legacy systems and embracing new innovations are vital steps in meeting surging national energy demands while simultaneously driving down consumer energy prices.
"By pairing industry innovators with leading U.S. test facilities and technical expertise, HyTN accelerates the development of next-generation technologies that keep hydropower reliable and abundant," said H2O Director Nichole Fitzgerald.
Chronology: The Evolution of the Hydropower Testing Network
The creation and expansion of HyTN represent a carefully orchestrated, multi-phase federal strategy designed to revitalize the domestic hydropower sector.
Phase 1: Establishing the Network (June 2024)
The foundation of HyTN was officially laid in June 2024 when the DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) initiated the search for participating testing facilities. The goal was to aggregate the nation’s top-tier academic, private, and federal laboratory testing assets into a single, cohesive network capable of supporting emerging hydro technologies.
The First Cohort (Early 2025)
Building upon the established infrastructure, the WPTO announced the first cohort of 12 hydropower technology developers selected to receive testing support through HyTN in early 2025. This initial round proved crucial in validating the program’s framework, successfully matching pioneering developers with facilities best suited to address their unique design, stress-testing, and environmental compliance challenges.
The Second Cohort (Current Expansion)
Following the success of the initial rollout, H2O advanced to the second round of selections, identifying 14 additional projects to begin negotiations for in-kind support vouchers. This continuous pipeline underscores the DOE’s long-term commitment to maintaining a robust technological ecosystem for water power.
Supporting Data: The Vital Role of Hydropower in the U.S. Energy Mix
To understand the urgency behind programs like HyTN, one must examine the current energy landscape of the United States. While wind and solar capture much of the modern renewable energy spotlight, hydropower remains the backbone of the nation’s baseload renewable generation.
- Generation Share: Hydropower consistently provides nearly 6% of total utility-scale electricity generation nationwide, outperforming many other emerging renewable sources in terms of grid stability and dispatchability.
- Aging Infrastructure: Much of the U.S. hydropower fleet was constructed decades ago. While incredibly durable, these legacy assets require significant technological retrofits to maintain efficiency, comply with modern environmental standards, and integrate seamlessly with smart-grid architectures.
- Facility Diversity: The HyTN network leverages a diverse array of institutional capabilities—including major Department of Energy national laboratories such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory—ensuring that developers receive multi-disciplinary support spanning mechanical engineering, fluid dynamics, and environmental science.
Official Responses and Industry Perspectives
The announcement of the second round of HyTN selections has drawn enthusiastic responses from both federal officials and private-sector leaders who view public-private partnerships as essential to American energy independence.
Recently, Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson visited the Kingsbury facility, a historic leader in heavy-duty bearing technology essential for large-scale rotating equipment, to review ongoing research and development initiatives.
"We were honored to welcome Assistant Secretary Robertson and the Department of Energy team to Kingsbury," said Mike Brawley, President and CEO of Kingsbury. "For more than a century, Kingsbury technology has supported hydropower generation across North America. We are proud to continue collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Department of Energy on research that can help improve the reliability and longevity of critical hydropower equipment."
Behind the administrative scenes, the HyTN voucher opportunity is funded directly by H2O and managed by ENERGYWERX in active partnership with the DOE. This collaborative mechanism is made possible through a specialized partnership intermediary agreement established by the DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization, designed to streamline the transfer of federal research capabilities to commercial markets.
Implications: Securing the Grid of Tomorrow
The long-term implications of the HyTN initiative extend far beyond individual engineering achievements. As the United States experiences unprecedented growth in electricity demand—driven by the rapid expansion of data centers, the electrification of the transportation sector, and overall industrial revitalization—the grid requires diverse, dispatchable power sources.
1. Enhanced Grid Reliability and Resilience
Hydropower offers a unique advantage: it can ramp up quickly to meet sudden demand spikes and provide black-start capabilities in the event of a major grid failure. By upgrading existing assets and helping new technologies reach market maturity, HyTN directly contributes to a more resilient national power grid.
2. Environmental Stewardship and Fish-Friendly Design
Many modern hydropower innovations focus not just on energy output, but on environmental mitigation. Advanced turbine designs, improved biological monitoring, and smarter flow management systems help protect aquatic ecosystems, ensuring that clean energy generation does not come at the expense of local wildlife.
3. Economic Competitiveness and Job Creation
By lowering the barrier to entry for small- and medium-sized technology developers, the voucher program fosters domestic innovation. Testing and refining technologies within U.S. facilities keeps intellectual property, engineering talent, and manufacturing supply chains anchored firmly within the United States.
As the 14 newly selected projects move forward with their voucher negotiations, the Department of Energy continues to lay the groundwork for a cleaner, more robust energy future—proving that even America’s oldest renewable energy resource has a cutting-edge role to play in the 21st century.
