The United States currently has over 90,000 total dams, with only 3% producing hydroelectric power. This leaves approximately 87,000 dams available for our team to choose from. With renewable energy becoming an increasingly important factor in the energy landscape of the United States, this massive number of non-powered dams (NPDs) creates great opportunities to expand renewable energy and decarbonize the energy sector. This paper reviews our complete process for siting down-selection, determining feasibility, and designing a concept for an NPD to hydroelectric dam conversion with co-development. Our approach combines analytical rigor with practical design configurations to approach the conversion of an NPD to hydropower and seeks to contribute meaningfully to sustainable and efficient hydropower development.
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