Argonne’s interactive game turns hydropower science into an interactive learning tool designed to attract new water-power workers.
One of the nation’s oldest sources of electricity, hydropower, is a critical pillar of the rapidly evolving U.S. energy grid. Yet the field faces a growing challenge: too few professionals are entering the hydropower workforce.
To address that need, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) developed a technology-driven learning tool designed to spark interest in the next generation of water-power workers.
In 2024, they created the Hydropower Market Game - an interactive tool that educates students on the strategic, fast-moving world of modern hydropower. Instead of starting with textbooks or technical diagrams, researchers imagined a game - something immersive, intuitive and fun.
The game introduces players to hydropower through real-time, puzzle-based play, letting students manage water flows, follow price shifts and watch the grid respond to their choices in real time.
Such early engagement is increasingly important as more than a quarter of the domestic hydropower workforce over the age of 55 is expected to retire in the coming decade, according to a 2022 report by NLR.
“Hydropower is sometimes called the ‘forgotten giant of energy,’” said Quentin Ploussard, an Argonne energy systems engineer and project manager for the Hydropower Market Game. “It doesn’t feel as trendy as newer energy sources, even though its potential remains enormous.”
Funded by a $100,000 Seedling Award through DOE’s Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O, formerly named the Water Power Technologies Office), the project began as an early-stage model in 2024 and has quickly exceeded expectations.
Since its release in August 2025, the game has been downloaded more than 500 times by players in 55 countries.
“Since we are a U.S. government-funded program, I was pleasantly surprised to see so much interest from other countries, which highlights the interest for this type of interactive tool worldwide,” Ploussard said.
Hydropower’s Vast Potential for the Future
The game arrives at a pivotal moment: Hydropower provides about 6% of U.S. electricity, and federal forecasts project electricity demand to grow roughly 0.9% to 1.6% per year through 2050, according to DOE’s U.S. Energy Information Administration.
As the grid becomes more complex, hydropower’s fast, flexible support makes it an increasingly vital partner.
In recent history, the number of large U.S. hydropower facilities has remained steady, but the amount of hydroelectricity sent to the grid is set to expand through modernization, digital upgrades and new forms of flexible storage such as pumped-storage hydropower. These advances are building a more adaptable hydropower fleet ready to support the grid’s evolving needs.
Despite this potential, hydropower is often overlooked in energy education curricula, even as new water-powered technologies and advances create a surge in career opportunities.
Although Ploussard now works in the hydropower industry, when he was earning his master’s degree in electrical engineering in France, he said, “No classes were offered on hydropower. I graduated in 2014 without ever learning how hydropower plants actually work.”
That gap, he said, underscored the need for tools like the Hydropower Market Game, which can spark early engagement and help shape future learning pathways.
Creating a Virtual Hydropower Plant
The game begins when players step into the role of a hydropower intern in Blue Rapids, a fictional town powered by several types of hydropower plants.
As players explore the town’s facilities, they learn the fundamentals of hydropower - from plant types and power generation to operations, environmental considerations and market dynamics. They navigate levels based on these and other real hydropower challenges.
Early in the game, for example, players are introduced to the basic principle of power generation at a run-of-river plant. Guided by a senior engineer, players learn that electrical output is approximately proportional to water flow, then explore an interactive screen that breaks down components such as the penstock, turbine and generator.
They are then invited to operate the plant themselves, adjusting the wicket gates to regulate flow and match real-time electricity demand. In doing so, they receive a hands-on demonstration of how hydropower balances supply and load on the grid.
Each new level adds a new skill, upgrades the player’s job title and provides a performance score that encourages replay. The game progresses through a series of increasingly challenging levels that introduce players to real-world hydropower concepts.
From Code to Classroom: How the Game Was Built
The game was developed by a nine-member team from Argonne and NLR, bringing together hydropower specialists, environmental scientists, communication experts and software developers.
The core tool was developed and coded by Lukas Livengood, an undergraduate student who joined the project through the DOE-funded Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program that connects college students to National Laboratories. Livengood developed the tool and translated real physical processes into interactive simulations that anchor the game’s educational experience.
Taking the Hydropower Market Game to Its Next Stage
Moving forward, the team aims to bring the Hydropower Market Game online and accessible via web browsers, adding to the current Windows- and Mac-only offline versions, and making it accessible from any device. A browser-based version would open the game to a broader audience and enable new features, including multiplayer modes.
To build on their progress, Argonne and NLR are pursuing new funding avenues to extend the work launched under the H2O Seedling grant.
Ploussard is pleased with the positive response to the game and hopes it will have an impact in shoring up the next generation of water-powered jobs.
“Seeing so few young people in the hydropower industry creates uncertainty for its future,” he said. “That’s what motivated me to build this game - to expose more students to hydropower and get them excited about the possibilities.”