Matthew Grosso has been named acting director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), filling a position opened by the recent departure of Jennifer Garson.
In this role, he leads strategy, management and execution of WPTO’s $200 million annual budget as the office works to advance research, development and demonstration of hydropower and marine energy technologies.
As acting director, Grosso aims to build bridges with clean energy leaders to better coordinate and collaborate on shared efforts and goals, as well as demonstrate the value of WPTO’s work through greater transparency and data sharing, according to a release. For example, he will work with the marine energy community to support in-water deployments of devices to accelerate adoption and commercialization. Grosso also will work with the hydropower community to help quantify this resource’s value to the electric grid, modernize and extend the life of existing facilities, continue to enhance environmental sustainability, and increase generation through low-impact and pumped storage hydropower.
Grosso has more than 30 years of experience in the public sector, including 15 years at DOE and more than eight years leading WPTO’s operations under the leadership of past directors Alejandro Moreno and Garson. In late 2020, he created a dedicated position to lead WPTO’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts, becoming the first technology office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to do so. He also helped lead efforts to establish WPTO in 2016 and implement smart grid and energy storage investments in the Office of Electricity under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
DOE is hiring a permanent director for the Water Power Technologies Office.
