Problem statement: There is considerable electricity production potential at more than 51,000 non-powered dams and in small streams and rivers in the U.S and there are no cost-effective solutions for them. The main reason this clean energy resource has remained mostly untapped is that the initial capital cost has been too high for a suitable return on investment. Existing products either are expensive with low energy returns, or specially engineered products with higher investment cost. Solution Linking converging manufacturing techniques, namely automated design, computational fluid dynamics, additive manufacturing, and in particular large format additive manufacturing, will be used to build lighter weight, efficient turbines specifically designed for each river and stream. Developing a microgrid specifically tailored to use microhydro as its base load will provide the customer with a level of power tailored to the need. Work in Phase I will conclude with a fully functional 3D printed optimized microhydro turbine-generator that will function as a very low head microhydro testbed and an off-thegrid renewable energy system demonstration. Commercial applications and benefits The project will
Benefit: Small dam owners in need of refurbishing an existing, but old structure, or wanting to develop new ones; local communities, especially in remote locations, which can leverage a local source of energy; the country as a whole, from a new source of energy and microgrids; American industry, from the development of new manufacturing techniques; and, last and not least, from a humanitarian perspective the possibility to help developing and underdeveloped locations with little or no access to electricity but located in the vicinity of a stream.
