U.S. Maps Untapped Hydropower Potential

The U.S. could double its hydropower production, according to a recent DOE study.   

Untapped Hydropower Potential

All of the nation’s rivers and streams have now been evaluated for their hydropower potential as a part of the New Stream-reach Development Resource Assessment (NSD). This data, released by the U.S. Department of Energy, is meant to help developers identify areas of high generating capability and avoid those with environmental conflicts.

Untapped hydropower capacity totals 65 gigawatts in the U.S. if you discount federally protected areas like the Grand Canyon, according to the assessment. Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington have the highest potential, each with at least 3,300 megawatts of untapped potential. Although a DOE statement says the assessment “demonstrates one of the ways the United States can further diversify its energy portfolio” and advertises that a full build-out could nearly double hydropower’s 7% share of total U.S. electricity production, the study emphasizes the importance of the environmental attributes compiled alongside the energy-density data. In theory, this stream-specific information, which includes critical habitat, landscape disturbance, and water quality, will help energy developers avoid ecologically sensitive areas.

Datasets by region can be downloaded from the National Hydropower Asset Assessment Program website.