Regulatory Analysis: Navigating the Policies That Drive Development

NREL's regulatory knowledge and public utility commission support helps break down the barriers normally experienced when navigating hydropower development and impact.

Simplifying Hydropower Project Approvals

Hydropower projects must navigate a series of federal, state, Tribal, and local approvals to receive authorization for construction.

The Hydropower Regulatory and Permitting Information Desktop (RAPID) Toolkit, on OpenEI, simplifies hydropower project approvals by providing easy access to federal and state permitting information, best practices, and resources for conventional, micro, and pumped storage projects.

To support the advancement of hydropower, NREL provides critical insights into the licensing and regulatory processes that shape project timelines, costs, and market impacts. NREL helps stakeholders understand the time, cost, benefits, and associated risk and uncertainty of hydropower licensing and associated regulatory approvals (e.g., Clean Water Act Sec. 401 Water Quality Certification, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act of 1966), as well as the causal factors behind those costs/timelines and the impact of the licensing process on the hydropower market, economics, and deployment.

In October 2021, NREL published An Examination of the Hydropower Licensing and Federal Authorization Process, which categorized the factors that can impact the time, cost, and risk of launching new or refurbishing old hydropower projects. The findings will help decision makers identify areas for reform and reduce uncertainty for future hydropower development.

Publications

Floating Photovoltaic Technical Potential: A Novel Geospatial Approach on Federally Controlled Reservoirs in the United States, Solar Energy (2025)

AquaPV: Regulatory and Environmental Considerations for Floating Photovoltaic Projects Located on Federally Controlled Reservoirs in the United States, NREL Technical Report (2024)

An Examination of the Hydropower Licensing and Federal Authorization Process NREL Technical Report (2021)

Basin-Wide Approaches to Hydropower Relicensing: Case Studies and Considerations, NREL Technical Report (2019)

FERC Hydropower Licensing: A Review of Utilization of the ILP, TLP, and ALP, NREL Technical Report (2019)

Negotiating Terms and Conditions: An Overview of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Hydropower Settlement Agreement Process, NREL Technical Report (2018)

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