SAGLE — The U.S. Department of Energy awarded a hydropower grant to a Sagle project called Drops for Watts. The grant was awarded Wednesday as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.

The $13.5 million investment from the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law awarded grants to seven different research and development projects focusing on advancing hydropower as a critical source of clean energy. The project in Sagle is expected to receive $243,540.

Drops for Watts will focus on a new approach to deploying low-head turbines at drops and diversions. As part of the grant, company officials said they plan to develop a low-impact, modular system to generate hydropower from existing irrigation infrastructure.

“This system will be designed to have minimal impact on existing infrastructure and will not require any additional excavation,” DOE officials said in a press release.

Other projects among the seven receiving grants are a 3D concrete printed, modular, marine pumped hydroelectric storage system in San Pedro, Calif., expected to receive $4,000,000 and a spillway turbine in Pasco, Wash., expected to receive $1,600,308.

DOE officials said the United States is currently working toward achieving a carbon-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. Hydropower and pumped storage hydropower technologies will play significant roles in those efforts because they can power local grids while ensuring that the country’s clean energy grid remains flexible and reliable, the statement said.

“For more than a century, Americans have harnessed the power of water to electrify our communities, and it’s a critical renewable energy source that will help us reach our climate goals,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will help to expand the use of hydropower, increasing access to affordable, clean power, and creating good-paying jobs.”

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.