On 25 March, IHA joined 30 experts at a HYDROPOWER EUROPE workshop to discuss research and innovation priorities for the future of Europe’s hydropower industry.
The workshop was a key step forward in the development of HYDROPOWER EUROPE’s Research and Innovation Agenda (RIA) and Strategic Industry Roadmap (SIR).
HYDROPOWER EUROPE is an EU Horizon 2020 funded project. The aim of the RIA is to provide recommendations on research and innovation priorities for hydropower to EU institutions and national authorities. The SIR will deliver insight on community views on hydropower projects; best/innovative practices in hydropower development; and recommendations on how hydropower can contribute to a successful energy system transition, preserve the environment and increase societal resilience. The SIR will consider societal needs and trends as well as European energy policy and ambition.
Eleven topics are covered:
- Barriers to large scale deployment of all sizes of hydropower
- Hydropower for a better society
- Continual improvement of the protection of environment
- Funding hydropower research and deployment
- Increasing flexibility
- Optimisation of operations and maintenance
- Resilience of electromechanical equipment, construction and material technology
- Resilience of infrastructures
- Developing new emerging concepts
- Environmental-friendly solutions
- Mitigating impact of global warming
IHA’s David Samuel, Senior Analyst, led on a session on how to achieve increased flexibility in the EU power system; through hydropower technologies being demonstrated in projects such as the EU Horizon 2020 XFLEX HYDRO and HydroFlexprojects.
IHA believes greater flexibility can be achieved through:
- Technologies and innovations in pumped storage, reservoir storage and run-of river (at existing and new hydropower sites).
- Policy and markets. Policy should ensure hydropower services are properly valued and incentivised using current and new approaches; maximising potential to access new power markets.
In the draft RIA and SIR flexibility is addressed widely, especially in these RIA priority areas:
- Innovation in pumped (and other) flexibility storage design and operations
- Innovative turbines' (including reversible pump-turbines) and generators' design
- New models and simulation tools for harsher operation conditions
The HYDROPOWER EUROPE consortium comprises 8 partners: ICOLD: International Commission on Large Dams (coordinator); EASE: European Association for Storage of Energy; EREF: European Renewable Energies Federation; EUREC: Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centres; IHA: International Hydropower Association; SAMUI: Samui France sarl; VGB: VGB PowerTech e.V.; Zabala Innovation Consulting (Zabala Brussels).
