HYDROPULSE: Innovation for Sustainable and Flexible Hydropower

Description

Hydropower plays an important role in Europe’s energy transition, both as a source of renewable electricity and because of the flexibility it can provide to the power system. However, the sector faces significant challenges related to ageing infrastructure, the impacts of climate change, water resource management, biodiversity conservation and social acceptance.

Against this backdrop, HYDROPULSE is a European research and innovation project that aims to advance towards more flexible and sustainable hydropower that is better adapted to the needs of local communities and ecosystems.

To achieve this, HYDROPULSE will work across five European case studies located in Switzerland, Romania, Spain and Portugal, where 10 innovative tools and 5 models will be designed, developed and validated.

The solutions will address different time horizons in hydropower operation: responding in real time, anticipating short-term conditions and planning for the long term, taking into account factors such as climate change, water availability and biodiversity.

The 5 pillars of Hydropulse

1. Responding to societal needs. HYDROPULSE adopts a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach to involve local communities and stakeholders in the development of its solutions.
2. Optimising hydropower flexibility. Digitalization and new monitoring and analysis tools will help improve the operation of hydropower facilities and their ability to adapt to the needs of the power system.
3. Ecosystem restoration. The project explores solutions aimed at improving river morphology, ecological connectivity, and biodiversity in areas associated with hydropower facilities.
4. Sustainable water management. HYDROPULSE takes an integrated approach to water, considering both its role as an energy resource and its essential importance for ecosystems and society.
5. Knowledge transfer. The solutions and knowledge generated by the project will be shared beyond the pilot sites to facilitate their application in other regions and hydropower facilities.

Objectives

HYDROPULSE has nine specific objectives aimed at supporting the sustainable transformation of the European hydropower sector.

The first three focus on the project’s social dimension: engaging local Communities of Practice, co-creating socio-technical interfaces and assessing the social readiness of the innovations developed.

From a technological and environmental perspective, the project aims to optimise hydropower operations in real time, using solutions such as fault detection through acoustic monitoring; anticipate short-term hydrological conditions to improve generation flexibility; and support long-term planning by considering different climate change scenarios.

HYDROPULSE also seeks to advance understanding of biodiversity conditions and promote ecosystem restoration, demonstrate the benefits of the solutions developed across the five case studies and, finally, develop policy recommendations and support the exploitation and replication of project results.

Cuerva´s role

Cuerva leads one of HYDROPULSE’s Spanish case studies, entitled “Water-Energy Nexus in Arid Landscapes,“ which is being carried out at the La Vega hydropower plant.

This case study will provide a real-world environment to explore how hydropower generation, efficient water management, and the environmental and social needs of the local area can be effectively balanced, particularly in regions characterized by water scarcity and increasing exposure to the impacts of climate change.

In addition to leading the case study, Cuerva acts as a key point of contact for local stakeholders and contributes its multidisciplinary expertise and knowledge of the local hydropower context to the consortium. In doing so, Cuerva supports both the validation of the solutions developed and their adaptation to the real needs of the sector and local communities.