Hydropower can realistically provide an additional 1 GW of energy under the right policy framework within a quick timeline, according to a new report.
The Energy Informatics Group at the University of Birmingham was commissioned by the British Hydropower Association (BHA) to assess the future potential of hydropower in the UK. The report concludes that hydropower can realistically provide an additional deployment of 1 GW, a 50% increase from its existing installed base of 2 GW.
Hydropower is a proven technology, with an established supply chain and has demonstrated previously that with the right policies in place can deliver rapid deployment.
In particular, hydropower can help to deliver power during the evenings and winter months when electricity demand is at its highest. It is a key addition at these times to balance periods of demand when wind and solar production can be at their lowest and electricity from gas plants can be at their highest – and most expensive.
The report is being released to coincide with the start of the BHA annual conference in Glasgow, which sees leading companies from around the world meet to discuss how to ensure these vital technologies are not overlooked.
This report provides evidence and data that makes it clear hydropower has long-standing benefits to help decarbonise the UK's electrical system.
Lead author Dr Grant Wilson from University of Birmingham’s School of Chemical Engineering, said: “This report provides evidence and data that makes it clear hydropower has had long-standing benefits to help decarbonise the UK's electrical system, and with the right policy support can continue to do so. In fact, it has the opportunity to grow its capacity by 50%."
Kate Gilmartin CEO of the British Hydropower Association, said "Hydropower is a proven and reliable technology that is able to ramp up quickly and safely. The UK has an established hydropower supply chain, so nearly all of the support needed to unlock this investment will stay in the UK economy, creating jobs and growth.”
About the BHA
The BHA is the leading trade membership association solely representing the interests of the UK hydropower industry, including tidal range (from micro to large scale).
Our membership encompasses all-scale hydro developers and generators, investors, consulting engineers, manufacturers and suppliers of equipment.
The UK has been involved with the export of equipment and services for about 150 years.
The UK has been a pioneer in hydropower development, using water for electricity generation since 1879 when the first 4.5 KW hydroelectric generator was put into operation to provide electricity for a single lamp.
Today it is estimated that the UK has a total hydropower installed capacity of over 4,700 MW, including over 2,800 MW of pumped storage.
Background to Paper
The Energy Informatics Group at the University of Birmingham was commissioned by the British Hydropower Association (BHA) to assess the future potential of hydropower in the UK. The team at the University of Birmingham comprised Dr Grant Wilson, Dr Joe Day and Geraint Phillips and they completed detailed assessments of existing hydropower installations and their operations, previous studies into hydropower, a comparison of previous studies with actual installed capacity, a survey of hydropower companies.
The full report is available online.
About the Energy Informatics Group at the University of Birmingham
The Energy Informatics Group undertakes research with time series and geographical data to better understand certain choices and trade-offs of the net-zero transition. The group is focused on a number of energy system projects with a common challenge of energy system flexibility; this is felt to be the largest overall challenge facing energy system decarbonisation and the shift away from fossil fuels.
Associate Professor
Grant Wilson, Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham
