ETIP Hydropower Europe

The ambitious plan for an energy transition in Europe now seeks to achieve a low-carbon climate-resilient future in a safe and cost-effective way, serving as an example worldwide. In many European countries, the phase out of nuclear and coal generation has started with a transition to new renewable sources comprising mainly of solar and wind for electricity generation. However, solar and wind are variable energy sources and difficult to align with demand. Hydropower which strongly contributed during the last century to industrial development and welfare, provides high flexibility and storage services required for ensuring energy security and delivering more solar and wind power onto the grid. Hydropower has all the characteristics to serve as an excellent catalyst for a successful energy transition.Building from this extensive programme of consultation, the Hydropower Europe Forum (https://hydropower-europe.eu/) has developed from 2018 to 2022 a Research and Innovation Agenda (RIA) as well as a Strategic Industry Roadmap (SIR). The Consortium is particularly motivated (1) to integrate its RIA and SIR into the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan roadmap establishing links with national authorities and (2) to consolidate its strong networks into a sustainable association serving not only the hydropower sector but the whole renewable energy sector contributing towards the European Green Deal. Built on the more than 600 stakeholders representing all sectors, who actively participated through the Hydropower Europe Forum, ETIP HYDROPOWER will further align and coordinate the industry RIA and SIR strategies to provide consensus-based strategic advice to the SET Plan covering analysis of market opportunities and R&I funding needs, biodiversity protection and ecological continuity. Another goal is, in one with Europe and the latest EU climate and energy related policies, deepening the understanding of innovation barriers and exploitation of research results.