Beschreibung:
New developments in the renewable and clean energy sector came on the back of the energy crisis, brought on by the war in Ukraine, and some of the worst droughts Europe has experienced. Regional electricity prices increased to higher levels than those recorded in 2020. This has resulted in lengthy discussions across Europe about price volatility and security of supply. To strengthen the resilience of the electricity market, the EU has sought ways to optimise the electricity market design to tackle price volatility, further accelerate investments in renewables and enhance the flexibility and resilience of the power system. This included the REPowerEU plan of May 2022, which worked to diversify energy supplies and reduce dependence on foreign fossil fuels, save energy, and accelerate the rollout of renewables. The energy crisis has highlighted the key role of hydropower in providing grid stability, water&energy storage, multipurpose services and dispatchable generation. Hydropower provides an important contribution to renewable energy, with multiple benefits associated to water reservoirs. However, dams in freshwater systems can cause environmental damages. Hence sustainable hydropower needs to achieve a good balance between electricity generation, impacts on ecosystems and benefits on society, supporting the achievement of the Green Deal targets and the objectives of renewable energy and water policies. Several sustainable hydropower options exist, whose potential is of high relevance especially in the European Union. Amongst others, these are: modernization of the existing hydropower fleet, hydropower integration and hybridization with other energy technologies (floating photovoltaics, heat extraction from generators, batteries), tapping hidden hydropower in water and wastewater distribution networks, hydropower in existing and non-removable barriers (e.g. water mills), reservoir interconnection and hydrokinetic turbines. Digitalisation is also emerging as a relevant strategy to mitigate impacts along rivers and optimize hydropower generation taking into account weather, technical, market and environmental factors. Multi-purpose reservoirs are needed to face with climate changes, increased water demand and ensure flexible energy and storage, but they come also with costs and challenges. The European hydropower sector plays a leading role at the global scale, holding the largest share of export, high-value inventions and scientific publications, and China is the main competitor. Therefore, hydropower is a key sector to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU in an increasingly challenging world (e.g. energy crisis, climate changes, green and digital transition and the competitiveness of emerging economies).