ReHydro
Demonstration of sustainable hydropower refurbishment
The main objective of ReHydro is to demonstrate how European hydropower can be rehabilitated and modernized to be ready for a leading role in the future energy system, taking into account sustainability requirements and societal needs in the context of climate change. A range of digital monitoring tools (performance, cavitation, machine condition) deployed at demonstration sites will improve the efficiency of hydropower. Innovative concepts such as retrofitting with pumped storage power plants and hybridization will make hydropower fit for future markets.
ReHydro will show how biodiversity can be improved through new fish-friendly turbines and the restoration of environmental flows monitored with new tools such as eDNA. It will also introduce smarter use of water resources so that more services can be provided to electricity markets, while expanding the multipurpose use of water resources for navigation and recreation and strengthening the ability to mitigate flooding and high tides.
The results of ReHydro will meet all the expectations set out in the call and the solutions will provide commercial advantages for the European hydropower industry to capitalize on the global demand for hydropower development. It is expected that the exploitable results of ReHydro will create 700-1150 new jobs in the manufacturing industry and increase the global market by 275 million euros.
Duration: 01.05.2024 - 30.04.2028
Project Staff: Elisa Schuster
Funding program: Horizon Europe
Sponsor: European Union
