The European Commission as well as individual member states has specified ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emission and enhance renewable energy development towards year 2050.  Several countries are already now experiencing challenges with regards to balancing and production uncertainty, and this trend is expected to increase as more wind and solar power is put in operation. Hydropower has unique balancing capabilities through reservoir storage and fast responding generators, and the technology is well-proven and cost efficient. The potential for further hydropower development is limited in some European countries, but there is still a substantial potential in the Balkans, Turkey and some of the neighboring countries. Even though hydropower is renewable by nature, environmental and social impacts are also associated with hydropower development.  Sustainability must be obtained when locating hydropower, which is by nature limited by topography. The role of hydro in balancing other renewables in Europe will also be highly dependent on grid developments, power market designs and both EU and national policies

CEDREN and The European Commission Joint Research Centre organized a two-day event on sustainable hydropower development in collaboration with Istanbul Technical University 21-22 January 2016. The event focused on the potential of hydropower development in the EU Enlargement countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey), and brought together regional, national and EU policy makers, hydropower companies and industry, and experts on hydropower, renewables, transmission grid and environment. A full day seminar was given on 21 January where policy makers, scientists and academia discussed the role of hydropower, the new technologies and the optimization of reservoir handling in high-RES systems, as well as the environmental and social aspects associated with hydropower development. The second day, a half-day thematic workshop addressed the political, legislative and regulatory challenges for increased use of hydropower.

 

The program and the presentations given at the seminar and workshop are given below:

 
21 January 2016

09:00 - 09:30 Welcome session - Opening and introduction to the seminar
Necati Agiralioglu, Istanbul Technical University
Atle Harby, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy (CEDREN), Norway
Luciana Zanier, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

09:30 - 11:00 Session 1 - Hydropower development
Chair: Andreas Zucker, Institute for Energy and Transport, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Global Hydropower Development
Mathis Rogner, International Hydropower Association (IHA)

Hydropower development in South-East Europe
Ayse Filiz Kolat, Statkraft, Turkey

Hydropower in South Eastern Europe – the investors view
Aydin Dügencioglu, IHES A.S

Hydropower development in Turkey
Necati Agiralioglu, Istanbul Technical University

Impact of liberalization on hydropower market in Turkey
Serkan Karakus, Directorate of State Hydraulic

11:15 - 13:00 Session 2 - The future role of hydropower
Chair: Ali Uyumaz, Istanbul Technical University

Technological innovation in the field Hydropower
Oliver Teller, GE & ALSTOM Energy

The need for flexibility and energy storage
Ånund Killingtveit and Atle Harby, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Storage as a flexibility option for the European energy system: The role of hydro storage, its opportunities and constraints
Andreas Zucker, Institute for Energy and Transport, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Hydropower planning and scheduling in the future
Carl Fredrik Tjeransen, Powel Norway

Q & A, discussion

14:00 - 15:30 Session 3 - Climate change and sustainability
Chair: Atle Harby, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Climate change and future role of hydropower
Ånund Killingtveit, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Climate change and water resources
Ali Uyumaz, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey

Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol
Simon Howard, International Hydropower Association (IHA)

A review of competition mechanism of bidding for an hydropower project
Emre Dulkar, Borusan EnbW

Q & A, discussion

15:45- 16:45 Session 4 - Hydropower and the environment
Chair: Simon Howard, International Hydropower Association (IHA)

Environmental design of hydropower
Atle Harby, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Water consumption and availability
Tor Haakon Bakken, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Renewable energy and their integration in the region (Case studies, etc)
Kostas Tigas, Centre for Renewable Energy Resources and Saving CRES - Greece

Q & A, discussion

16:45 - 17:30 Closing session - Conclusions
Moderators will wrap up the key messages and discussions from the sessions, and open for final Q & A and discussions

22 January 2016
09:00 - 13:00 Workshop

The research & Innovation pillar of the Energy Union: SET-Plan
Estathios Peteves, Institute for Energy and Transport, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

EU Water framework directive
Tor Haakon Bakken, Centre of Environmental Design of Renewable Energy, Norway

Smart Specialisation Energy Platform
Moritz Haller – Directorate Policy Support Coordination, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Reconciling environmental and energy policy and regulation. Examples
Jens Aabel, Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate

Policy and regulation in the region
Western Balkans – Representatives and experts from the Western Balkan Countries

• Some curiosities about the hydropotential of the Vrbas river (Cedomir Zeljkovic, Branko Vucijak, Muris Torlak)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Environmental and Energy Policy and Regulation (Branko Vucijak, Cedomir Zeljkovic, Muris Torlak)
• Status of Hydropower in Serbia (Milos Nedeljkovic, University of Belgrade)
• Kosovo (Nysret Avdiu, University of Prishtina)
• Hydropower and its future role (environmental aspect) (Biljana Kilibarda, Directorate for Environment, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Montenegro)
• Energy sector in Montenegro (Maja Pavicevic, Directorate for Environment, Montenegro)
• Hydropower and its future role (Atanas Kochov, Mechanical Faculty, Skopje, Igor Ilijovski and Goran Stoilov (ELEM)
• Hydropower and its future role - Serbian experience (A. Janjic)
  
  14:00 - 16:00 Summary and discussion among organisers
  Elaboration of the “Policy Brief”

Day one was wrapped up with a summary from the moderators of the different sessions, before they opened up for questions from the audience. Photo: Ånund Killingtveit.

 

• 1 February 2016
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