Working together
Innovation to meet 21st century needs
Through continued engagement with a dedicated community of small hydropower stakeholders, SMH collaborative research and development will address opportunities, risks, and challenges associated with small hydropower development and the realization of standard modular technologies.
How will SMH research and development engage the community and stakeholders?
ORNL and DOE intend to maintain a highly collaborative R&D space that drives the small hydropower stakeholder community towards a consensus on SMH technology and facility design criteria while generating innovative ideas and acceptance criteria for future small hydropower development. Sustained engagement with stakeholders across the hydropower development community will be pivotal in ensuring site assessment tools and SMH technologies evolve from concept to practical testing and usage.
At present, the two pathways for engagement and collaboration with ORNL on the SMH project include industry partnerships and publication review and comment. Future opportunities may will include workshops, webinars, tool and protocol development, and continued partnerships to develop and advance SMH technologies.
Industry Partners
ORNL is currently collaborating with four different industry partners through the DOE-funded Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA_0001836 (Innovative Design Concepts for Low-head Hydropower) and DE-FOA_0002080 (AOI 2a, Modular Technologies for Low-Head Hydropower Applications). The industry partners include:
- Littoral Power Systems (for both FOAs)
- Natel Energy (for both FOAs)
- Percheron Power (for DE-FOA_0002080)
- University of Minnesota, (for DE-FOA_0002080)
In addition, ORNL is seeking collaboration with industry partners to develop frameworks and tools for demonstrating and advancing SMH technologies. Mechanisms for collaboration and technology transfer include but will not be limited to Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Interagency Agreements (IAAs), workshops, and other elicitation.
SMH Research Team
Leveraging expertise within and beyond ORNL
The Standard Modular Hydropower (SMH) Research Team represents a diverse network of hydropower and subject matter experts with a common goal of creating a meaningful, stakeholder-validated framework for conceptualizing and demonstrating SMH technologies. Successful project execution may support Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), and Interagency Agreements (IAAs) to foster SMH technology advancement.
For more information on the SMH project or to get involved, Contact Us.
Team Biographies:
The Standard Modular Hydropower team consists of research scientists, engineers, students, and consultants with expertise and capabilities across a wide range of hydropower-related disciplines. Team members currently include the following individuals:
Mr. Scott DeNeale is a Water Resources Engineer in the ORNL Water Resources Science & Engineering Group. He holds an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Tennessee and leads the SMH project as overall SMH Principal Investigator.
Mr. Chris DeRolph is a Geospatial Scientist in the ORNL Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group. He holds an M.S. in GIS/Natural Resources from North Carolina State University and a GIS Professional certification (license No. 90556 from GISCI) and supports the SMH project as an expert in geospatial analysis.
Dr. Jenberu Feyyisa is a Hydraulics Engineer in the ORNL Water Resources Science & Engineering Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Infrastructure and Environmental Systems from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and support various hydraulic-related efforts in the SMH project.
Dr. Carly Hansen is a Water Resource Engineer in the ORNL Water Resources Science & Engineering Group. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Utah and provides support for hydrologic, water quality, and watershed-scale analysis, in addition to leading the NPD Classification Research.
Dr. Shih-Chieh Kao is a Senior Research Staff in the ORNL Environmental Sciences Division. He holds a Ph.D. in Hydrologic Engineering from Purdue University and supports hydrologic modeling and streamflow synthetization in the SMH project.
Dr. Paul Matson is an Aquatic Ecologist in the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Science from University of California, Santa Barbara and supports the SMH project on environment impacts and performance pertaining to fish and sediment passage.
Dr. Mirko Musa is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the ORNL Water Resources Science & Engineering Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota and he supports the SMH project as an expert on water power production, sediment transport, and fluvial geomorphology.
Dr. Brenda Pracheil is an Aquatic Ecologist in the ORNL Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Group. She holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska and supports the SMH project as an expert in sustainable and ecological design optimization.
Mr. Colin Sasthav is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds a B.S. in Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University and provides general engineering and modeling support for the SMH project.
Mr. Kevin Stewart is a Water Resources & Hydraulic Engineer in the ORNL Water Resources Science & Engineering Group. He holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and leads the SMH Facility Research & Development activities.
Contact Us
For general information regarding our research, technologies, capabilities, and facilities or to report broken links, contact hydropower@ornl.gov.
ORNL, Main Campus
1 Bethel Valley Road
P.O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6134