Global hydroelectric power capacity could double to 2,000 GW by 2050
or sooner, according to a report released this week by the World Energy
Council. The study, titled "Charting the Upsurge in Hydropower Development", was presented during the World Hydropower Congress in Beijing. The report notes that hydropower worldwide has seen a resurgence
since 2005 "due to better management and understanding of what
technology can provide", WEC said, with ancillary benefits like water
storage also making hydro an attractive consideration.
Hydropower has also benefitted significantly from changing attitudes from international financiers like the World Bank, as well as support from organizations including the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy. Still, WEC secretary general Christoph Frei said, there is further
room for hydroelectric growth -- particularly in developing countries.
"The future lies in the opening up of new markets through
cross-border trade and power pools and devising appropriate market
conditions, such as renewable incentives, clearer price signals for
additional services and flexible generation," Frei said. "Whilst some
governments and multilateral banks are supporting and encouraging
neighboring nations to cooperate and share the same water resources,
more innovative solutions are needed."
China, India, Brazil and countries in southeastern Asia hold the most
potential for rapid growth, the report said, with a number of the
world's greatest producers of hydroelectric power still having vast
untapped resources.
"The research shows that the hydropower sector is continuing to
grow," International Hydropower Association chief executive Richard
Taylor said. Hydroelectric expansion could be further encouraged, the report said,
should border tariffs make hydro more conducive as an export revenue
generator.
"Large-scale projects will always be a challenge because there are so
many authorities and stakeholders involve," Taylor said. "No projects
move forward without the government concerned understanding hydropower.
It is their responsibility to create the right conditions to bring
forward the best projects.
"The spectrum of development models is increasing, and these will
vary according to the local expertise and access to markets. If
hydropower's contribution is to double, we need to share the knowledge
that will lead to informed decisions that meet today's sustainability
criteria." Droughts impacting many parts of the world should also make
storage-based hydropower an attractive consideration, WEC chair
Marie-Jose Nadeau said, given what has been coined the "energy-water
nexus."
"As the world moves to cleaner energy resources and water becomes an increasingly valuable commodity in
many regions, it will influence the choice of energy options," Nadeau
said. "Governments must take a leading role in addressing the vicious
cycle of rising water and energy demands."
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/05/global-hydroelectric-power-could-double-by-2050-wec-report-says.html