Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source in the world, accounting for 15 percent of global electricity consumption. Although solar and wind have received significant mainstream and political attention in recent years, hydropower offers unique advantages that deserve recognition. Assuming there is a stable water source, hydropower can provide firm, baseload energy that can be used around the clock. That is a significant advantage over intermittent renewables like wind and solar.
A recent study by Energy Watch Group concluded that if Germany were to fully exploit the potential of hydropower, the whole of Eastern Germany (almost 8.3 million households) could be permanently supplied with renewable electricity.
“Hydropower must be seen as a clean, firm, baseload energy source that complements wind and solar in a decarbonized energy world,” explained our Director of Technologies and Impact, Magnolia Tovar. “In many developed economies, hydroelectric power plants with large reservoirs have already been built in the most suitable locations. But if we examine the potential for smaller hydroelectric power plants, there are many options that should be exploited”, she concluded.
Learn more about innovative hydropower technologies below!
Future Cleantech Architects has joined Handelsblatt, the largest and most-cited business and financial newspaper in the German language, to shed light on the most intensively debated cleantech innovations of the moment. Stay tuned for new releases!
Read the complete article (in German) here or as a pdf version here.
