According to the 2014 Oak Ridge National Laboratory study on untapped hydro-power potential, there is nearly 65 GW of untapped power in America’s waterways. The vast majority of this power remains undeveloped for many reasons, both environmental and commercial. One major impediment to the realization of this potential is the significant infrastructure required to install a conventional hydroelectric facility. The commercial and environmental cost of dam construction often makes the development of small-scale (50 kW–500 kW) hydroelectric installations untenable.
