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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HydroFlex (Increasing the value of Hydropower through increased Flexibilty)

Teaser

Summary

HydroFlex â€“ Increasing the value of Hydropower through increased Flexibility â€“ is a â‚¬5,7m H2020 research and innovation action. The project aims towards scientific and technological breakthroughs to enable hydropower to operate with very high flexibility.

The Paris Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2Â°C above pre-industrial levels. This commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions has been an important contributor to the increasing share of renewables in the European energy system. Particularly variable renewable energy sources (VRES), such as wind and solar, will be key components of the future energy mix. Together with increased end-user flexibility and a market-oriented operation of power plants, an increase of VRES will result in larger fluctuations in the power system. Hydropower represents an important asset for grid balancing due to its quick response and storage capabilities. It is an enabler of VRES deployment. A further increase of the flexibility of hydropower will thus increase its value in a future energy system.

HydroFlex aims to develop new technology permitting highly flexible operation of hydropower stations. Flexibility of operation here means large ramping rates, frequent start-stops and possibilities to provide a large range of system services. All this within (strict) excellent environmental and social conditions while being economically competitive compared to alternative solutions. The project will perform research and innovation activities on key bottlenecks of hydropower units that restrict their operating range and thus limit their flexibility. Thereby, HydroFlex will create the technical, environmental and social basis for successful future industrial developments.

The specific objectives are:
- Identify and describe the demands that hydropower plants will be confronted with in future power systems;
- Develop a variable speed Francis turbine that accommodates high ramping rates and 30 start-stop cycles per day;
- Develop new power station electrical layouts, generator rotor and magnetization systems, and power electronic converter control for increased flexibility and strong grid support;
- Assess social acceptance and test innovative methods to mitigate social and environmental impacts;
- Carry out effective dissemination, communication and exploitation activities to promote the research results to the relevant stakeholders.

Work performed

The first 18 months of the project saw a significant number of activities. The project started off by identifying and describing the demands that hydropower will be confronted with in the future. Three European energy scenarios for the period from 2020-2040 were developed and reference power plants in Norway and Sweden identified. The scenarios form the basis for the ongoing market, grid operation and stability simulations.

Research also focused on the flexibility of Francis turbines, the most common turbine type in Europe. New designs of the runner, guide vanes, stay vanes, casing and draft tube to meet the critical objectives of the project - high ramping rates and 30 start-stop cycles â€“ were central activities. Further, project activities focused on the configuration of synchronous generators and frequency converters that allow for variable speed operation. This research started with literature reviews and simulations, which resulted in scientific publications, modeling platforms and concepts to be verified and tested in the laboratory.

The project also addresses methods to mitigate the negative effects on downstream water courses that may result from higher flexibility of hydropower plants. These mitigation methods are developed with a focus on active storage. The concept of active storage has been presented and simulation models of Nidelva and Ume rivers have been set up. These models enable the assessment of environmental impact of flexible operation both with and without the active storage in place. Regarding the river ecosystem, a detailed fish population model is applied to study environmental impact.

Dissemination of the project and its first results have also been in focus during the first reporting period. A project website and social media channels have been set up where peer-reviewed publications, reports, webinars and news about project activities are regularly shared. Three newsletters have been distributed to relevant stakeholders throughout Europe.

Main HydroFlex results achieved so far include:
- The development of three scenario paths focusing on the role of hydropower flexibility in the European energy system
- The development of a parametric design tool for flexible hydraulic turbines
- The development of a modelling platform for control design purposes and large-scale power studies
- The development of hydraulic models for Nidelva and Ume rivers to assess environmental impact of flexible operation
- The publication of 9 peer-reviewed papers and 2 webinars

Final results

HydroFlex develops technology that enables manufacturers to deliver turbines, generators and converters that can handle the fatigue loads, which will be present in the future operation of hydropower plants. More specifically, HydroFlex technology will be designed to handle 30 start-stop cycles per day. This ambitious objective pushes hydraulic turbines, electrical equipment, mitigation of highly fluctuating discharges and the knowledge about environmental and social impacts of highly flexible operation beyond the state of the art.

These advancements in hydropower research and innovation will enhance the flexibility of hydropower and thereby contribute to securing system stability at the European level. The reliability of the transmission system will increase and the balancing of the intermittency of electricity produced by VRES improve. Hence, the risks associated with the integration of VRES will be reduced.

The expected improvements of the turbine design and the adoption of new generator and converter concepts will improve operation and increase lifetime of hydropower plants. Manufacturers adopting the project results will be able to design new hydropower systems and components with the ability to handle a larger number of start-stop cycles compared to the existing equipment. This will nurture the development of industrial capacity and strengthen the European industrial technology base.

HydroFlex research on environmental and social impacts and mitigation methods will contribute to reduce the life-cycle environmental impact and improve the socio-economic evaluation the decision-makers face. The project aims to identify win-win solutions, allowing for both increased hydropower flexibility and sustainable livelihood of local communities along the watershed. These win-win solutions will also reduce costs related to show-stoppers late in the process due to public resistance.

Last, but not least, HydroFlex contributes to enabling hydropower to become a major contributor to the clean energy transition, and hence to the major effort needed to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement and mitigate global climate change.