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Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): May 2025 Issue

From novel turbine designs to artificial intelligence: a review of cutting-edge innovations in hydropower systems

Brooklyn Mckenzie Smith
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Arkansas Tech University, 1811 N Boulder Ave, Russellville, AR, 72801, USA

Corresponding Author(s) : Brooklyn Mckenzie Smith

Bsmith160@atu.edu

Future Energy, Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): May 2025 Issue

Abstract

This paper explores the breakthroughs made in hydropower technology and efficiency. The research aims to assess and highlight the advances in hydropower technology and efficiency by investigating the different breakthroughs such as improved turbine designs, aquatic life preservation in relation to the hydropower industry, the utilization of AI, simulations, and digitalization, advancements made in artificial channeling, exploring and advancing marine and hydrokinetic technologies, along with the methods used to optimize operations in the hydropower industry. Hydropower, as a clean and reliable renewable energy source, utilizes various types of structures to harness the kinetic energy of moving water to generate electricity. The main initiatives in advancing hydropower include increasing efficiency, improving cost effectiveness, exploring new technologies, and minimizing environmental impacts. Hydropower generates roughly six percent of the energy produced in the United States and roughly fifteen percent of all electricity worldwide. Over the last 20 years, global hydropower capacity has increased by seventy percent and is projected to grow by an additional seventeen percent between the years 2021 and 2030. This energy source shows a strong, steady upward trend in the advances made in hydropower technology and efficiencies.

Keywords

Hydropower technology Kinetic energy Efficiency Renewable energy Electricity
Smith, Brooklyn Mckenzie. 2025. “From Novel Turbine Designs to Artificial Intelligence: A Review of Cutting-Edge Innovations in Hydropower Systems”. Future Energy 4 (2):41-49. https://fupubco.com/fuen/article/view/313.
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