[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/12023\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe hydropower renaissance in Europe \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Jeremy Bricker, a hydraulics and coastal engineer, is dreaming big.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESomewhere on the North Sea coast, he imagines construction of a dam to manage the supply of clean energy to Europe\u2019s \u201clowlands\u201d.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDam good\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBricker is also working towards that goal. He and other engineers are part of a project that received EU funding to advance a ground-breaking energy-storage option based on water.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnder their plan, a circular dam built just off the coast would keep seawater out of an inner, artificial lagoon where the water level would be lower.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPumping water out of the lower lagoon into the surrounding ocean would be done when there\u2019s an oversupply from other renewable sources \u2013 such as sun and wind. When energy is needed, water would then be allowed to flow back into the lagoon through energy-generating turbines, pushed along by the force of the surrounding ocean.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In the inner lagoon, we could store the energy equivalent of thousands of batteries,\u2019 said Bricker, an associate professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe is scientific coordinator of the project. Called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/883553\u0022\u003EALPHEUS\u003C\/a\u003E, it is due to wrap up in September 2024 after four and a half years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing gravity to allow water to flow back into the lower lagoon through turbines would make it possible to generate hydropower on demand when supply is low, filling a supply gap and providing a clean-energy storage solution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUniversities, including Chalmers in Sweden, Braunschweig in Germany and Ghent in Belgium, and companies joined forces across eight European countries to develop the key new technologies needed for a hypothetical offshore dam, such as water turbines fit for use at sea.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBack to the future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile thousands of hydropower installations already exist around the world, they are almost exclusively in mountainous regions where the natural terrain lets gravity show its force, or where river flow is powerful enough to be harnessed for energy production.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInterest in the technology is growing again \u2013 this time for potential use in flatter areas including seas \u2013 because it could help green the European economy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe could store the energy equivalent of thousands of batteries.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Jeremy Bricker, ALPHEUS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEurope aims to become the first\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/priorities-2019-2024\/european-green-deal_en\u0022\u003Eclimate-neutral\u003C\/a\u003E continent by 2050. This goal will require a shift away from fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas and oil, and towards renewables, such as hydropower.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU aims to increase the share of renewables to 42.5% in 2030 from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php?title=Renewable_energy_statistics#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20renewable%20energy%20sources,and%2029.9%20%25%2C%20respectively).\u0022\u003E23%\u003C\/a\u003E in 2022. That share will have to rise even more for climate neutrality to be achieved by 2050.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENimble needs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne challenge is that renewables like wind and solar can be intermittent. Clouds can block the sun and the wind can stop blowing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen this happens, the energy system needs to be able to react quickly to balance supply and demand. This means being able to store surplus energy and reintroduce it into the grid when needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile batteries currently serve this purpose, they have limitations. They store small amounts of energy, depend on critical raw materials and have a relatively short lifespan, particularly when compared to that of a dam.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If we don\u2019t build up more energy storage, we might be facing blackouts and grid instability in the future,\u2019 said Bricker,\u0026nbsp;whose career has taken him from the United States to working at universities in Japan and the Netherlands.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDemonstrating flexibility\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, other researchers in Europe have been upgrading existing hydropower installations using artificial intelligence so water can take on a bigger role in the renewables line-up.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of another EU-funded project, these experts designed technologies to improve the energy storage potential, performance and flexibility of hydropower stations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECalled\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/857832\u0022\u003EXFLEX HYDRO\u003C\/a\u003E, the project ended in February 2024 after four and a half years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re seeing a renaissance of hydropower.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Elena Vagnoni, XFLEX HYDRO\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIntegrating larger and larger amounts of intermittent solar and wind energy \u2013 also referred to as variable renewable energies (VREs) \u2013 will require more flexibility than is currently possible to avoid disruptions in supply.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We\u2019re seeing a renaissance of hydropower,\u2019 said Dr Elena Vagnoni, a lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, or EPFL, and the scientific coordinator of XFLEX HYDRO. \u2018A new, renewable power grid needs flexibility. That changes the way we look at hydropower.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project combined the expertise of European power utilities, global equipment manufacturers, research institutions and energy consultancies in Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the UK.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt carried out full-scale demonstrations of its new technologies in facilities in France, Switzerland and Portugal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEfficiency gains\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIntermittent supply drops increase wear and tear on installations that were designed with a more regular energy supply in mind.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In the past, you would turn on the pumps once a day at most,\u2019 said Fran\u00e7ois Avellan, honorary professor at EPFL who acted as a scientific advisor to XFLEX HYDRO. \u2018Now we need to start them several times a day, depending on the weather. That puts a severe strain on these installations.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project tested out a new system \u2013 a \u201chydraulic short circuit\u201d \u2013 at the Grand\u0027Maison dam in the French Alps, the largest pumped storage hydropower installation of Europe.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt peak capacity, it can feed 1\u0026nbsp;800 megawatts of energy into the grid, equivalent to a mid-sized natural gas or coal plant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new technology allows Grand\u0027Maison to pump water and generate electricity at the same time. The XFLEX HYDRO software manages the energy flow to keep it constantly in balance with the needs of the grid.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe expected increase in efficiency would reduce reliance on gas and coal plants and potentially save around 90\u0026nbsp;000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions a year, according to Avellan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, Bricker of ALPHEUS said its participants are looking for an industrial partner that can scale up the project\u2019s technology. EU funding helped to make his dream of an offshore water power installation an achievable reality \u2013 actually building it will take years more of research and private investment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The technology is here,\u2019 he said. \u2018Now it just needs industrial leadership and funding.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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