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Yes. More hydropower capacity or grid flexibility can often be added without constructing a new conventional dam across a river. The main pathways are modernizing existing plants, installing generators at existing non-powered dams, recovering energy from canals and pipelines, building diversion or run-of-river projects, and using pumped storage when the real need is electricity storage rather than new primary generation.
These options are not interchangeable. A plant upgrade can increase output from water already controlled by a facility; a canal turbine uses water being conveyed for another purpose; a diversion project routes part of a river around a natural elevation drop; and pumped storage consumes electricity to move water uphill before producing electricity later. The best choice depends on the site, available flow and head, environmental constraints, grid service and project economics.
The five main alternatives
- Modernize an existing hydropower plant by adding units, refurbishing turbines and generators, replacing obsolete equipment or improving controls.
- Add generation to an existing non-powered dam that was built for water supply, irrigation, flood control, navigation or recreation.
- Install turbines in canals, pipelines or other water-conveyance systems where water is already being moved.
- Use diversion or run-of-river designs that exploit a river’s natural elevation drop without a large storage reservoir.
- Build pumped storage when the objective is to store electricity and provide grid flexibility, not to create net new primary energy.
Avoiding a new dam structure does not eliminate environmental review. Every option can affect flows, fish, habitat, sediment, land, communities, construction traffic and water operations. The comparison must be made for a specific location and grid need.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) describes these pathways in its overview of low-impact hydropower growth and its explanation of hydropower plant types.
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1. Modernize an existing hydropower plant
Upgrading a plant that already has a dam, water intake, powerhouse and grid connection is usually the most direct way to increase hydropower capability without building another river-blocking structure. DOE identifies three broad measures: adding generating units, refurbishing existing equipment and replacing equipment.
Add units where the civil works have spare capacity
An existing powerhouse or waterway may have room for another turbine-generator set. An owner might also add a unit at an intake, outlet or bypass that currently releases water without generating. The possible gain depends on hydraulic capacity, available head, seasonal flow, penstock and powerhouse dimensions, dam-safety requirements and the interconnection’s ability to accept additional output. A facility with unused water-conveyance capacity is different from one whose turbines already use nearly all available flow.
Refurbish or replace turbines and generators
Older runners, generators, governors, transformers and switchgear can limit efficiency, reliability or operating range. Refurbishment can restore lost capability; a replacement can improve performance, controls and maintainability. Modern controls may allow faster ramping or better coordination with other units, but the resulting capacity and annual energy are site-specific. Do not treat a generic efficiency percentage as a guaranteed project result.
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Modernization can include dam-safety measures, improved maintenance, fish-protection equipment, safer passage for operators and updated monitoring. Those works may be required before an owner can operate at a changed flow or head. Relicensing, water-rights conditions, minimum-flow rules, fish-passage obligations and other environmental commitments can constrain the operating envelope.
Questions to answer before assuming an upgrade will pay
- What flow, head and seasonal water supply are actually available?
- What condition and remaining life do the turbines, generators, civil works and electrical equipment have?
- Can the grid connection handle the proposed capacity and ramping?
- Will dam-safety rules, flood-release requirements or downstream obligations limit dispatch?
- Does the project require a new license, amendment, consultation or environmental review?
- Will the added capability produce energy, flexible capacity, or both?
DOE discusses facility assessment, modernization decisions and the use of virtual modeling in “Curious About Modernizing Hydropower Facilities? Explore These Six Questions” and “Why and How Should We Modernize U.S. Hydropower Facilities?”. Neither page supplies a universal output increase because the result depends on the individual plant.
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2. Add generation to an existing non-powered dam
Many dams already create a hydraulic head but do not generate electricity. They may serve municipal water supply, irrigation, flood control, navigation or recreation. Installing a turbine and generator at a suitable site can add electricity without constructing a new dam body.
DOE reports that less than 3% of more than 90,000 dams in the United States produce power, according to its current Types of Hydropower Plants page (accessed 2026). This is a national screening indicator, not a claim that the other dams are technically or economically viable.
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- Head and flow: enough elevation difference and dependable discharge to operate a turbine.
- Dam and outlet condition: safe structures, usable intake or outlet geometry and room for a powerhouse or modular equipment.
- Operating purpose: generation must not compromise water-supply deliveries, irrigation schedules, flood control, navigation or legally required releases.
- Grid access: a practical interconnection, protection equipment and a market or offtake for the electricity.
- Environmental fit: effects on fish passage, downstream flow, sediment, temperature and recreation must be acceptable or mitigable.
- Economics: civil works, controls, transmission, permitting and long-term maintenance must justify the expected output.
Retrofitting an existing dam avoids the impacts of building a new impoundment, but construction can still require cofferdams, excavation, new roads, transmission lines and changes to outlet operations. A dam that appears attractive on a map may have too little flow, an unsuitable outlet or expensive interconnection.
3. Recover energy from canals, pipelines and other conveyance infrastructure
Water systems can contain usable pressure or elevation drop even when they are not power plants. DOE identifies irrigation canals, pipelines and other waterways as potential locations for low-impact hydropower. A turbine can be installed in a pipeline, at a pressure-reducing point, in a canal drop or at another control structure while the water continues toward its existing destination.
Why conveyance projects can be attractive
- The waterway and right-of-way already exist.
- Generation can be colocated with a water utility, irrigation district or industrial load.
- A predictable delivery schedule can provide a more regular operating profile than an unregulated river.
- Using existing infrastructure can reduce the need for a new reservoir or river crossing.
What must be checked
Designers need the normal and minimum flow, pressure or head, pipe diameter, canal geometry, seasonal schedule, water-quality requirements and allowable pressure losses. Irrigation deliveries, drinking-water service, fire-flow capacity and maintenance shutdowns take priority over electricity production. A turbine that creates too much head loss can disrupt water service; bypasses and controls may be needed so the system can operate during outages or unusual demand.
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Access, corrosion, debris, sediment, icing, electrical isolation and interconnection can dominate the cost. Generation is not automatically impact-free: changing a canal’s water level or a pipeline’s pressure can affect downstream users and operating safety. The opportunity is therefore highly site-specific, even when the infrastructure itself is already built.
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4. Use diversion or run-of-river designs
A diversion project channels part of a river through a canal and/or penstock to use the natural decline in riverbed elevation before returning the water downstream. Because the project can rely on the river’s natural gradient, a diversion facility may not need a large dam or storage reservoir. Run-of-river projects generally pass incoming water through the plant rather than storing a large volume for later release.
How diversion differs from an impoundment
| Characteristic | Large impoundment dam | Diversion or run-of-river project |
|---|---|---|
| Water control | Stores water in a reservoir and controls releases over time. | Routes some or most of the current flow through a canal, intake or penstock. |
| Land conversion | Can inundate a broad upstream area. | Usually avoids a large reservoir, but still needs intakes, waterways, roads and a powerhouse. |
| Generation profile | Can shift generation using stored water, subject to operating rules. | Usually follows available river flow and seasonal conditions. |
| River effects | Can alter connectivity, temperature, sediment and downstream flow over a long reach. | Can leave a dewatered or reduced-flow reach and alter fish movement, habitat and sediment transport. |
The table describes typical physical differences, not a universal environmental ranking. EIA explains that dams and reservoirs can affect fish migration, river temperature, water chemistry, flow characteristics and silt loads; reservoirs can cover natural, agricultural or archaeological areas, and operations can result in relocation. Its discussion of hydropower and the environment also notes that reservoir greenhouse-gas emissions are uncertain and depend on site and regional conditions.
Questions for a diversion site
- How much water can be diverted while maintaining required instream flows?
- Will an intake, canal or penstock block or injure fish, and what passage or screening is required?
- How long and how severe will the reduced-flow reach be?
- How will construction affect riparian habitat, sediment and nearby communities?
- What happens during drought, floods, ice, debris events or rapid seasonal changes?
- Can the project connect to the grid at a reasonable cost?
“Run-of-river” describes an operating and storage arrangement; it does not mean no environmental impact. A project still changes water routing and requires location-specific engineering and environmental review.
5. Choose pumped storage for electricity storage and flexibility
Pumped storage is different from the generation alternatives above. It stores electricity rather than creating net new primary energy. When electricity is available, pumps move water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir. When the grid needs power, water flows downhill through turbines and returns to the lower reservoir.
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What pumped storage can provide
- Energy shifting from low-demand or high-renewable-output periods to peak demand.
- Fast response, ramping and other balancing services.
- Long-duration storage where batteries or other technologies may not provide the desired duration.
- Potential use of existing reservoirs, mines or other elevation differences, subject to site review.
The round trip necessarily uses more electricity for pumping than the turbines later return. It should therefore be evaluated as a storage asset with charging costs and losses, not counted as an additional source of primary hydropower energy.
Open-loop and closed-loop configurations
DOE distinguishes open-loop systems, which retain a hydrologic connection to a natural water body, from closed-loop systems, whose reservoirs are not connected to an outside water body. A closed-loop layout may avoid a continuous connection to a river, but it still requires reservoirs, tunnels or penstocks, roads, transmission, water, land and construction. Closed-loop status alone does not make a project impact-free or easy to permit.
Scale and market context
DOE’s current Pumped Storage Hydropower page lists 43 pumped-storage plants in the United States; the figure is a current-page count accessed in 2026 and can change as projects open or close. DOE also cites the 2024 edition of the Hydropower Market Report for the finding that pumped storage represented 88% of U.S. utility-scale energy storage in that report’s stated scope.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast in its 2020 Hydropower Special Market Report that pumped storage would account for 30% of global net hydropower capacity additions during 2021–2030. That is a forecast, not a measured outcome. The IEA also describes a difficult business case: revenue must compensate the asset for its flexibility and availability, not only for the electricity generated during discharge.
How to compare the alternatives at a real site
A clear comparison starts with the service the grid or water owner actually needs. The same location can look attractive for one purpose and unsuitable for another.
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| Option | Primary purpose | Existing infrastructure used | Water and site requirements | Main issues to resolve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing-plant modernization | More output, reliability or flexibility from an operating plant. | Dam, intake, powerhouse, turbines and grid connection. | Available flow and head; equipment and civil-works capacity. | Condition, dam safety, relicensing, environmental obligations and interconnection. |
| Non-powered dam retrofit | New generation at an existing dam. | Dam, reservoir or outlet and sometimes existing electrical access. | Usable head and dependable releases without harming the dam’s original purpose. | Outlet geometry, fish passage, construction, grid access and project cost. |
| Canal or pipeline hydropower | Energy recovery from water already being delivered. | Canal, pipeline, drop structure or pressure-control point. | Flow, pressure/head, operating schedule and allowable losses. | Water-service reliability, maintenance, debris, controls and interconnection. |
| Diversion/run-of-river | New river generation without a large storage reservoir. | Intake, canal or penstock and powerhouse. | Natural elevation drop and adequate seasonal flow. | Reduced-flow reach, fish passage, sediment, habitat, construction and drought. |
| Pumped storage | Storage, balancing and peak-shifting; not net new primary energy. | Upper and lower reservoirs, waterways, pumps, turbines and transmission. | Elevation difference, reservoir sites, water supply and grid charging/discharging value. | Capital cost, land and water impacts, permitting and a market that pays for flexibility. |
For every option, compare expected capacity, annual output or storage duration, dispatch profile, construction and operating costs, grid connection, permitting schedule, maintenance and revenue. A small project can be environmentally attractive yet uneconomic if engineering, transmission and permitting costs are spread over little generation. DOE notes that many low-impact opportunities are smaller and can be expensive to develop with existing technologies.
A practical screening process
- Define the service. Decide whether the need is more annual energy, firm capacity, fast ramping, long-duration storage, black-start capability or improved reliability at a water facility.
- Inventory existing assets. Map operating plants, non-powered dams, canals, pipelines, pressure drops, reservoirs, transmission and substations. Record ownership, operating purpose and access constraints.
- Measure water and elevation. Assemble flow-duration data, seasonal variability, drought records, head, pressure, reservoir levels and required releases. Do not size equipment from an average flow alone.
- Check operational compatibility. Model irrigation deliveries, municipal demand, flood control, navigation, recreation, environmental flows, maintenance outages and emergency releases.
- Screen environmental and community effects early. Identify fish passage, water temperature, sediment, habitat, archaeological resources, land acquisition, construction disturbance and potentially affected communities before detailed design.
- Test the grid connection. Determine available interconnection capacity, protection requirements, transmission upgrades, charging arrangements for pumped storage and the market products the project can sell.
- Compare lifecycle economics. Include civil works, equipment, roads, transmission, licensing, mitigation, financing, operations, maintenance, replacement and decommissioning. For pumped storage, include the cost of electricity used for pumping and revenues for flexibility services.
- Advance only the strongest concepts. Use detailed engineering, geotechnical work, hydrology, environmental studies and permitting consultations to validate the short list. A national statistic or conceptual map is not a feasibility study.
Environmental and community trade-offs
“No new dam” narrows one category of impact but does not remove trade-offs. Existing-plant upgrades can disturb a powerhouse and alter operating patterns. A non-powered-dam retrofit can change releases through an outlet that previously served another purpose. Canal and pipeline turbines can introduce pressure losses, maintenance risks or new structures into water-supply systems. Diversion projects can reduce flow in a river reach and affect fish and sediment even without a reservoir. Pumped storage can require substantial reservoirs, tunnels, roads and transmission, whether open-loop or closed-loop.
Environmental review should examine river connectivity, fish injury and passage, temperature, water chemistry, flow timing, sediment and silt loads, habitat, land use, construction, noise, cultural resources and community effects. EIA notes that fish can be injured or killed at turbines and that research into improved turbine designs does not establish a proven, fleet-wide result. Reservoir greenhouse-gas emissions are also site-specific; hydropower should not be described as universally emissions-free or universally high-emitting.
Mitigation can include fish screens and passage, minimum-flow rules, seasonal operating limits, sediment management, improved turbine designs, habitat restoration, monitoring and community agreements. The appropriate measures depend on the water body, species, legal requirements and project design.
What the evidence does—and does not—establish
- The United States has a large pool of dams without generation, but the DOE figure of less than 3% producing power does not reveal how many are feasible to retrofit.
- Modernization can add capacity or flexibility, but no universal percentage gain applies to every existing plant.
- Canals, pipelines and diversion projects can avoid a new conventional dam, yet their output depends on local flow, head and operations.
- Pumped storage can be valuable for balancing a changing grid, but its business case depends on market compensation for storage and flexibility.
- IEA’s 2021–2030 forecast identifies run-of-river as the smallest growth segment and attributes part of its composition to many small projects below 10 MW; this is a forecast context, not a rule about an individual proposal.
Choosing the right pathway
If an existing plant has aging equipment and a usable grid connection, modernization is the first screen. If a dam already provides head and releases water for another purpose, a non-powered-dam retrofit may be appropriate. If water is continuously delivered through a canal or pipeline, energy recovery can add local generation without changing the river system. If the site has a natural gradient and acceptable environmental flows, diversion or run-of-river design may fit. If the grid problem is timing rather than total energy, pumped storage may be the better match—but it must be valued and permitted as storage.
The decisive work is site-specific: quantify water and elevation, preserve the infrastructure’s original purpose, test the grid connection, examine environmental and community effects, and price the full lifecycle. These checks determine whether an alternative is genuinely lower-impact and worthwhile, rather than merely avoiding the word “dam.”
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