Sustainable hydropower development in China and Norway to meet future demands

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FutureHydro will focus on hydropower and pumped hydrostorage development and their environmental impacts in the context of renewable energy expansion. In order to meet the growing demand of renewable electricity in China and Europe, extensive projects for developing hydropower and pumped hydro-storage to balance intermittent energy sources have been planned. In Norway, the use of existing reservoirs to balance the European intermittent energy sources is motivated by the strong development of intermittent renewable energy to meet the EU targets. However, hydropower and pumped hydro-storage may have negative impacts on the environment, such as modification of physical conditions and deterioration of existing eco-systems in storage reservoirs and downstream rivers. The project's objective is to develop and exchange scientific knowledge between Norway and China regarding the implementation of hydropower and pumped hydro-storage to balance intermittent energy sources. Emphasis will be put on stakeholder intera ction, establishment of long-term collaboration between Norwegian and Chinese partners and to create awareness about how hydropower can contribute to the optimal mix of renewable energies both in China and Norway. The main activities will be a review of t he current and future balancing power demand, the need of capacity of the Chinese hydropower to balance power in a system with continuous increasing electricity demand, and the extension of knowledge of pumped hydro storage utilization with a focus on env ironmental impacts in several case-studies. In parallel to these activities, FutureHydro will strive to encourage the exchange and the dissemination of knowledge by the organization of four seminars gathering students, teachers and researchers in two of t hem, and decision makers in academic, administrative and political positions as well as users in other the two.