While solar panels and wind turbines are getting a lot of attention in the renewable energy conversation, more needs to be said about the role of pumps in the hydropower sector.
In the US alone, nearly 27 per cent of all renewable energy generated comes from hydroelectricity.
However, the supply chain supporting this work is no longer meeting the industry’s needs. To continue contributing to global clean energy goals, domestic supply chains must be introduced to enable new construction, plant upgrades and refurbishments of ageing systems.
A recently released report, Hydropower Supply Chain Gap Analysis, focused on shoring up the hydropower supply chain. The report considered various sectors of the hydropower supply chain, from mining and extraction to installation and construction. It identified five critical gaps in the domestic supply chain and provides actionable recommendations for addressing them.
One of the report’s authors and group manager of the Water Power Deployment and Commercialisation team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Tessa Greco, “There are several actionable items that the report identified that we can continue to work on, like building the hydropower workforce and aggregating hydro’s needs with other renewable energy industries.. “If we take steps to corral our federal resources and acknowledge where policy and regulatory improvements might be possible, we can enable more domestic manufacturing capability.”
The report builds on the Hydropower Supply Chain Deep Dive Assessment, part of a series of reports to create more secure and diverse US supply chains.
Based on the feedback WPTO gathered from hydropower industry stakeholders, Ms Greco and the NREL research team identified five significant gaps in the domestic supply chain. They are inconsistent demand signals, limited domestic suppliers, national contracting and procurement procedures, foreign competition and ongoing skilled employee shortfalls.
The report recommends that federal governments take the lead in developing appropriate procurement processes for their managed hydropower assets to address these gaps. There should also be an increased awareness of domestic supply chains by creating local expertise databases. A collaborative approach across the clean energy industry would help to keep demand steady and sustainable. Finally, more effort must be put into training the workforce of tomorrow through education and development.
These recommendations will help DOE plan for future rehabilitations and new construction efforts while informing policies, incentives, loan programs and technology investments that can support the domestic supply chain.
Image: Mny-Jhee/stock.adobe.com
