Page 10 - AsiaElec Week 39 2021

AsiaElec HYDRO AsiaElec

Hydro capacity needs to

double to meet green goals

GLOBAL GLOBAL hydro capacity needs to double by change” and “going forward, the only acceptable
2050 if water-based power is to make a mean- form of hydropower is sustainable hydropower.”
ingful contribution in the race to net zero, This highlights that not all hydro is currently
IRENA director-general Francesco La Camera regarded as renewable forms of generation
has warned energy and there are considerable doubts about
Speaking at a meeting of IRENA’s Collabo- the sustainability of hydro in the long run.
rative Framework on Hydropower, he said that The IEA has said that hydro risks being the
hydro expansion needs to accelerate if the Paris forgotten giant of the energy transition, warning
Agreement goals are to be achieved. that the pace of development in the hydro sector
Hydropower is the largest source of renew- had slowed and would continue to do so over the
able electricity worldwide and advancing its next decade.
deployment is essential in driving the energy Hydropower plants (HPPs) with over 50 MW
transition forward. of capacity, particularly if they feature associated
“We have to urgently step up action on all dams and reservoirs, are not regarded as green,
fronts of the energy transition to achieve the given the high environmental and social impact
climate and sustainable development goals. of their construction.
Hydropower has a key role to play, enabling the But installations under 50 MW are seen as
integration of increasingly large shares of varia- sustainable and having far less impact on the
ble renewables and providing climate resilience,” environment.
La Camera said. Another major issue is that the global hydro
IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook fleet is ageing fast, and huge investment is needed
said recently that a climate-safe 1.5C pathway to keep large hydro projects running.
would require 2,900 GW of installed hydro- Indeed, the meeting understands that the
power capacity by 2050 – more than double [the most pressing needs for hydropower include the
figure] of the installed capacity today,” need to ensure sustainability, to quickly secure
La Camera was speaking on the sidelines of large investments to deploy new capacity and
the World Hydropower Congress in Costa Rica. refurbish a large share of today’s ageing fleet.
“The need for long-duration energy storage Executives also called for new business mod-
is the ignored technological crisis within the els and market frameworks that adequately
climate crisis. The only proved low-carbon tech- reward the full range of services provided by
nology for storing electricity for longer periods is hydropower beyond power generation.
hydropower. We need substantially more wind, Looking ahead, hydro can act as a fundamen-
solar and hydropower,” former Australian Prime tal pillar of the clean energy transition and could
Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. be critical to the achievement of the Paris Agree-
Meanwhile, the US also committed itself to ment’s goals.
being a major player in developing hydro. Hydro is of particular interest to Africa and
“We have a goal of reaching a fully decar- Latin Americas, and officials from the African
bonised power sector by 2035,” said Alejandro Union, the Latin American Energy Organisa-
Moreno, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Renew- tion, the US DoE and the World Bank were pres-
able Power, US Department of Energy (DoE). ent at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the International Hydropower The hydro industry has adopted the San
Association chief executive Eddie Rich stressed José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower to
the green and sustainable credentials of hydro. ensure that hydro stays renewable and is able to
“Sustainable hydropower is a clean, green, play its part in the energy transition.™
modern and affordable solution to climate

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 39 29•September•2022