The transformation of the energy system caused by the increasing share of renewable
electricity production poses great challenges to Europe¿s energy industry. Intermittent
generation from wind and photovoltaics is triggering negative electricity prices more
frequently. This is facilitated by the poor flexibility of conventional power plants. Hydropower,
being a renewable electricity production and storage option, is already providing flexibility for
the energy system (mainly via pumped storage hydro power stations). For run-of-river power
plant operators, however, the options to adapt to these market situations by reducing
production are limited due to technological and legal restrictions.
Based on these issues, the major objectives of the ¿HydroProfiles¿ project are the
investigation of future requirements specifications for hydropower, the evaluation of
technological potentials and the deduction of innovative operational concepts and legal
frameworks for an optimal, economically efficient usage of renewable hydropower sources in
future energy markets. This is done by inquiring dynamic production potentials of Austrian
hydropower and modelling the integration into the energy system and markets. The
usefulness and potential of novel operational concepts and technology requirements (e.g.
provision of synthetic flywheel mass by hydropower plants, Francis turbine operation
between 0% and 100% load, full-scale converters for pumped storage hydro power plants) is
assessed economically in case studies comparing the gain in flexibility via hydropower
potential shifting to the usage of existing and future demand side management concepts and
de-centralized energy storages. The investigated measures are ranked in terms of highest
possible system and cost efficiency. Hence, the following results are expected:
¿ Increase in electricity production from hydropower
¿ Future requirements specifications for hydropower considering the total generation mix
and intermittent renewables in particular
¿ Operational concepts and strategies for future energy markets
¿ Market maturity analysis of innovative technologies
¿ Recommendations regarding drivers and barriers as well as preferable adaptions of
regulations
¿ An implementation plan, depicting the necessary steps to evaluate required technology
components in subsequent field tests