event 07 Oct 2018

SWWW 2018 Outcomes // Towards the Circularization of Hydroelectricity using the Existing Hydraulic Infrastructure

Synergistic approaches to respond to both food and energy needs and an integrated management of water are essential to respond to the WEF Nexus, in particular to attain the Sustainable Development Goals 2, 6 and 7. Installing hydropower plants in the greenfield imposes high environmental and social impacts. On the other hand, in water infrastructures the waste of energy is common. A direction for the decarbonisation of energy sources, in the context of hydroelectricity, must be the fight against this energy waste.

Logo stockholm world water week 2018 outcomes 1700x1000

The SWWW 2018 Outcomes series provides access to key resources and highlights the main takeaways from panel sessions at Stockholm Water Week 2018 related to the water-energy-food Nexus.

The development of alternative strategies and technical solutions incorporated in existing structures, used primarily for other purposes, represents an additional and profitable solution for energy generation with low impact. However this may be hindered by the lack of a proper evaluation of the available energy, doubts about technical solutions and the lobby of the big hydropower, solar and wind power industries. The event will be an open debate, preceded by short presentations by invited participants who are key players in the hydropower industry.

Event promoted under the auspices of the three-years program S-MultiStor.

Speakers

Main Outcomes

  • Reduce carbon emissions. The share of production of renewable energy must increase to reduce carbon emissions from fossil sources or to reduce nuclear power dependence.
  • Small hydropower as local power supply. Small hydropower has no big reservoir or dam and is seasonally predictable and partially regulable. It can be used to stabilize the local grid but also to feed and form isolated island grids. Therefore, the small hydropower is interesting for developing countries and also isolated rural areas or islands.
  • Squeezing energy from the existing systems. Hydraulic systems should be analyzed (or reanalyzed) to investigate the available energy which can be recovered. Investors on new hydraulic projects should recover the energy available in their already existing systems first, when modernizing existing hydraulic structures should implement hydropower units and, in new projects with other aim than energy production hydropower production should be implemented.
  • Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus. Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus is an integral and crucial part of sustainable hydropower development. Different approach and solutions are needed in developed, developing and nearly developed countries.

Resources

Original Event

Further reading

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