Europe could add 25GW of wind and solar capacity to existing hydropower sites without the need for additional grid infrastructure, according to new analysis from think tank Ember.
The report found that hydropower plants across seven EU countries could help accelerate renewable deployment by making better use of existing grid connections. The countries assessed were Austria, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
Ember said the approach, known as hybridisation, could allow the region to integrate 18% of the new renewable capacity expected by 2030 without requiring extra grid capacity.
Hybridisation combines technologies such as wind, solar and storage behind a single grid connection. Hydropower facilities are considered particularly suitable because much of their grid connection capacity remains unused during parts of the day.
“Political ambitions mean nothing if clean electrons are stranded in connection queues,” said Elisabeth Cremona, Energy Infrastructures Lead at Ember. “For countries facing gridlock, hybridisation offers an immediate, zero-intervention solution.”
According to the report, adding wind or solar generation at existing hydropower sites could increase the utilisation of grid infrastructure while staying within existing export limits.
“By adding wind or solar at the same connection point as a hydropower plant, developers can get online faster and operators can use grid infrastructure more efficiently – on average doubling utilisation – while staying within export limits,” said Cremona.
Ember said regulatory barriers remain a challenge across much of Europe. Of the seven countries studied, only Portugal and Spain currently have specific rules in place for hybrid renewable projects.
The organisation argues that targeted national policy reforms could help accelerate deployment and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
“Grid scarcity calls for immediate solutions. National legislation, paired with faster, priority processing of hybrid projects, can remove barriers to renewable deployment and make better use of existing infrastructure,” said Cremona.
The findings come as EU countries continue to seek ways to expand renewable energy generation while easing pressure on increasingly congested electricity networks.
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