Anyone can visit an island where a pumped storage hydropower station stores energy until it is needed on the grid, tidal turbines extract energy from the marine environment and wave energy fuels a desalination plant to yield drinking water.

This island has been engineered for educators, students, parents or anyone seeking to better understand water power. Where is this place?

On REDi Island, water power plays an integral role in powering communities, monitoring the environment and providing clean drinking water. Source: IKM 3D

Renewable Energy Discovery (REDi) Island is a virtual educational resource developed by the water power scientists at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory as a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) tool. The island currently hosts six water-powered waystations, featuring animated videos that offer an in-depth look at how hydropower can create and store energy for when it is needed on the grid or how marine energy can power desalination, environmental monitoring and other activities.

The educational reach of REDi Island will continue to expand as new waystations are added in the near term. An interactive web-based app that allows STEM students and teachers to dive deeper into REDi Island will also be released later this year.