Solar-Hydro 2024 opens before an international audience from 35 countries, bringing together solar and hydropower specialists together under one roof to share expertise and experiences
The conference has been organized by Aqua-Media International (AMI) and the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). Alison Bartle welcomed delegates on behalf of AMI and explained that the event had succeeded in achieving its three core conference objectives, namely, bringing together leading specialists from both the solar and hydropower sectors to pool expertise and disseminate knowledge to a wider audience; offering a diversity of topics thanks to contributions from prominent industry speakers; and attracting 35 nationalities from across the world to explore the future orientation of solar-hydro hybridization.
Setting the scene in his opening address, Luc Deroo, Head of the Steering Committee, and President of ICOLD Committee T dealing with innovative uses of reservoirs, outlined the important role hybridization has to play in tomorrow’s world. Prepared with esteemed industry expert François Lempérière, Luc highlighted the importance of drawing on science and discussions to advance the collaboration of solar and hydro technologies to provide a catalyst for positive change.
Luc Deroo, Head of the Steering Committee, and President of ICOLD Committee T, sets the scene during his opening address
SOLAR-HYDRO 2024 is timely, coinciding with a recent report by the World Bank on: ‘Power with flexibility; Facilitating the energy transition with hybrid hydropower solutions.’ Sharing key messages from the publication, energy specialists Bente Brunes and Elín Hallgrímsdóttir of the World Bank/ESMAP explained why scaling up and sustaining high shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) call for facilities that not only generate electricity, but also provide energy services to increase resilience and reliability of power systems. They emphasized that this serves as a motivation to explore how hydropower hybrids can leverage hydropower’s unique capabilities to harness complementarities and operational synergies with VRE and storage, to provide energy services that enhance power system flexibility. The report, which seeks to identify solutions with the greatest potential, defines a hydropower hybrid as a facility that integrates multiple technologies and manages them under one joint operation and control system either at the same location or virtually.
In a joint presentation, Bente Brunes of the World Bank/ESMAP presents key messages from the recently published World Bank on: ‘Power with flexibility; Facilitating the energy transition with hybrid hydropower solutions.’
The content-rich conference programme continues over 22-23 April, covering a broad spectrum of FPV deployment and development issues. Lessons learnt, opportunities and challenges will be addressed by case studies of recent, on-going and planned large-scale FPV collaborations across Europe, Asia and Africa. Proceedings will also provide updates on technical innovation and areas for research and development, to unlock the full potential of FPV technology. Key themes of the discussions are safety factors, technical standards, and environmental, social and economic factors, as well as ways of facilitating funding for FPV schemes. As well as the World Bank input, the Asian Development Bank is participating, and a session on financial aspects will be chaired by a high-level representative of Société Générale.
A supporting technical exhibition will also showcase the latest developments in floating solar PV and other renewable energy systems, providing attendees with an additional forum for knowledge sharing further and networking.
For more information, visit: www.hydropower-dams.com/solar-hydro
