U.S. Department of Energy Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC)
Team Name: Living with Water: Hydropower and Resilience
Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts
Endicott College Students Study the Permit Renewal of a Hydropower Facility in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Why is your team participating in the Hydropower Collegiate Competition (HCC)?
We are participating in HCC for three primary reasons:
- To promote career opportunities in engineering, design, and project management to high school students in the underserved community of Lawrence, Massachusetts
- To provide an opportunity for a diverse group of Endicott College students to work on an interdisciplinary design project
- To enhance students’ understanding of challenges and corresponding career opportunities in energy sustainability.
What is your vision for a clean energy future?
We envision a clean energy future that integrates the needs of community, industry, and stewardship of natural resources while celebrating historical and cultural heritage. These needs must be integrated in an equitable, civil, sustainable manner that uses the talents of all kinds of creative and innovative thinkers. This is the future we are striving for in Lawrence, the community where we are conducting our case study.
Describe your project, objectives, and game plan.
We will evaluate the future role of hydropower and clean energy in the town of Lawrence, the canal system of which is included in the nearby hydroelectric facility’s operating permit. To do this, we will take a multidisciplinary approach to integrate all stakeholder interests and develop a sustainable plan for the future.
What steps are your team taking to ensure a diverse and inclusive team?
We selected this project to address challenges in hydropower generation in an immigrant gateway city. We are committed to bringing the objectives of this competition to the attention of stakeholders in Lawrence, including residents, elected officials, and students ets pales compared in comparison to other renewable energy technologies. With this in mind, our team wants to ensure that the work we produce has the requisite “glitz and glamor” hydropower needs to claim a seat at the renewable energy table.
Who has your team connected with in the hydropower industry? What lessons have you learned from them, and how can your team apply those lessons to the competition?
The local hydroelectric facility is currently being considered for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permit renewal, which has sparked a great deal of community involvement and allows us to study an important element in its future role in the region. To date, our team has connected with members of the Low Impact Hydropower Institute and New England Hydropower as well as the local government, history, housing, and education groups. Our hydropower connections have helped us understand river flow data, turbine design, permitting issues, and other important concepts for our case study.
What makes you most excited about participating in the inaugural HCC?
We are most excited about participating in the inaugural HCC because it offers an opportunity to draw attention to Lawrence, Massachusetts, its water power legacy, and a view of its potential water power future. We think there are opportunities for all stakeholders to benefit on many levels, ranging from education and career development to energy sustainability and urban revitalization.
Team social media accounts/websites:
Twitter: @endicottcollege and @theanglecenter
Instagram: @endicottcollege and @theanglecenter
LinkedIn: Endicott College
The Endicott College HCC team includes (from left to right, top to bottom): John Hale, faculty advisor in architecture; Gina Deschamps, faculty advisor in business management; John Duggan, faculty advisor in engineering; Kevin Renz, faculty advisor in architecture; Stephen Capone, Thomas Hitchcock, Colton Green, Olivia Lee, Jayne Ducharme, Ko Harmes, Isabella Pomponio, Hannah Stanford, Ceejay Laquerre students in architecture; Leticia Julio, a student in engineering capstone design; Kyle Grabowski and Anna Rathburn, student leaders in engineering; Gaven Emenaker, Ryan Archer, and Cameron Feyer, students in the Angle Center/business management group; and Julia Cavanaugh, a student in engineering capstone design.Photo courtesy of Nik Kasprzak, Endicott College
