The foundation is working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office on the inaugural undergraduate and graduate-level student competition!
The hydropower industry is critical to the Biden Administration’s goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. Hydropower already plays an important role in our power system—it provides 37% of total U.S. renewable electricity generation and 93% of grid-scale energy storage—and yet it still has untapped potential and significant opportunity for growth.
However, this growth can only be realized with further innovation and a new generation of skilled workers to support this clean energy transition. To pave the way for next-generation workers to start their careers in clean energy, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with the Hydropower Foundation, have established the Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC).
The first HCC will engage interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to offer unique solutions to complex challenges related to hydropower’s ability to enable a 100% clean energy grid, and hopes to attract a new set of skilled and diverse workers to modernize the U.S. hydropower fleet.
Participating teams will develop a hydropower technology concept design, participate in contests, and ultimately present their work at an industry event. Through the HCC, students will also gain industry experience, a window into potential hydropower career pathways, and greater knowledge of hydropower’s potential to contribute to a clean energy future.
Hydropower Collegiate Competition Workshop 2021 Meeting
Industry and Academia met at NHA’s Clean Currents conference to discuss the details of the potential Hydropower Collegiate Competition hosted by The Hydropower Foundation, WPTO & NREL.
