Workshop Summary Report on Conduit Hydropower Development in the United States – Opportunity and Challenges

Conduit hydropower, as the name suggests, is a means of producing hydropower using conduits—defined as “any tunnel, canal, pipeline, aqueduct, flume, ditch or similar manmade water conveyance that is operated for the distribution of water for agricultural, municipal, or industrial consumption.” Conduit hydropower development offers several advantages over conventional hydropower development, including that it (1) does not require the construction of new dams or impoundments, (2) involves minimal environmental concerns, (3) is eligible for net-metering in most states, (4) yields high value for the energy generated, (5) entails reduced development timelines, and (6) may qualify for an expedited 45-day regulatory approval process. In addition, some projects may be defined as a “qualifying conduit facility,” which falls outside of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) jurisdiction. A determination can be reached within 45 days, provided that a facility (1) is less than 40 MW, (2) uses a non-federally owned conduit, (3) serves a primary purpose other than hydropower generation, and (4) is not currently licensed or exempted. There is approximately 530 MW of existing conduit hydropower in the United States, and a 2022 study by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) found that an additional 1,414 MW of power potential exists within existing water conduits. The 2022 ORNL resource assessment provided a reconnaissance-level study, which estimated hydraulic head, water flow, hydropower potential, and annual energy generation at both county and state levels throughout the 50 states. Power potential was estimated for (1) municipal, (2) agricultural, and (3) industrial conduit sectors. Specific conduit applications evaluated include water supply pipelines for municipal and industrial uses; wastewater discharge conduits from municipal and industrial systems; agricultural water conduits, including irrigation canals and ditches in the 17 western states that rely heavily on irrigation; and thermoelectric power plant cooling water discharge conduits. For additional information, see Appendix F or consult Kao et al. (2022).