Water Power Network

Working with NLR gives partners access to expertise, facilities, and tools tailored to the distinct needs of both hydropower and marine energy. NLR supports the full innovation life cycle—from concept and modeling through component testing, prototype validation, and grid integration studies.

For hydropower, NLR provides deep expertise in grid integration and advanced modeling, supported by tools like the RAPID Toolkit for streamlined permitting, the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform for microgrid-scale hardware validation, pumped storage cost and siting resources, and high-performance modeling on the Kestrel supercomputer.

For marine energy, NLR offers the nation’s only accredited lab for standards-compliant testing and world-class facilities including the Large-Amplitude Motion Platform for on-land wave simulation, specialized dynamometers for power take-off validation, the SWEL Wave Tank for controlled prototype testing, and advanced fabrication and grid emulation resources for system-level evaluation.

These end-to-end capabilities can help developers design, test, and deploy cost-effective water power technologies with reduced risk and faster progress.

Collaborators can partner with NLR through technology partner agreements, the Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research program (TEAMER), and the Hydropower Testing Network (HyTN). Partners can also participate in subcontracted water research through solicitations and requests for proposals. For more information on how to connect and partner with the lab, please visit Work With Us.

As a research and development laboratory, NLR seeks a broad range of collaborations. The lab works with developers, utilities, academia, national labs, industry partners, government agencies, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. Whether partners are focused on technology development, grid integration, or policy analysis, there's an opportunity to collaborate. NLR's goal is to bring together diverse expertise to validate marine energy and hydropower solutions that address real-world challenges.

NLR partners with stakeholders to accelerate tool and technology development to solve critical challenges in marine energy and hydropower. Current priorities include:

Marine energy:

• Advancing utility-scale marine energy systems with performance data, modeling tools, and validation capabilities that bring ocean-based power closer to the grid.
• Enabling secure, remote operations by supporting the development and deployment of marine energy systems for island grids, military bases, and autonomous underwater vehicles.
• Supporting blue economy innovation with testing, design, and systems integration support for applications like offshore aquaculture, hydrogen and ammonia production, deep-sea mining, and ocean science missions.

Hydropower:

• Validating technology design and supporting deployment with robust data, models, and tools for hydropower, pumped storage, and hybrid systems.
• Improving system affordability and reliability through integrated analysis of how hydropower can support energy, water, and other economic sectors.
• De-risking innovation through advanced testing platforms that can validate and scale secure, next-generation hydropower technologies.
• Examining policy, regulatory, and market barriers to U.S. hydropower project development.