Our team is participating in the 2026 Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC), a national event hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy that challenges collegiate teams to explore and innovate within the field of hydropower. The main objective of the competition is to develop creative solutions that advance hydropower technologies and promote sustainable innovations in areas such as the conversion of non-powered dams (NPDs) to hydroelectric facilities, the addition of pumped storage hydropower (PSH), and the use of in-conduit power systems. There are five required challenges and one optional challenge, and our team will be competing in all six this year.

The first challenge is the Siting Challenge, where our team will select and analyze a potential site either an NPD, a closed-loop PSH system, or an in-conduit hydropower system. The second challenge is the Design Challenge, where teams can choose between two tracks. Track 1 focuses on conceptual design, in which teams redesign a dam to meet the competition’s objectives. Track 2 is a hydropower component deep dive, where teams develop a detailed final design package for a specific component or system at their selected site. The third challenge, the Community Connections Challenge, requires teams to complete three goals: make connections with professionals to discuss current challenges in the hydropower industry, create innovative solutions to address those challenges, and act toward implementing one of those solutions. The fourth challenge involves creating a poster presentation summarizing findings from the Siting and Design challenges. The fifth challenge is preparing a 90-second quick pitch to concisely present the team’s project and its impact. The final and optional challenge is the Build and Test Challenge, where teams construct a scaled prototype of their design and perform a series of performance tests.

Through our participation in the 2026 Hydropower Collegiate Competition, our team aims to deepen our understanding of renewable energy technologies, strengthen our engineering and project management skills, and contribute to the broader goal of sustainable energy innovation.