Spotlight |
Digitalisation: from hesitation to action
Digital hydropower may be widely accepted in theory, but adoption in practice
remains uneven. Drawing on decades of leadership experience, Uwe Wehnhardt talked with Carrieann Stocks about what really holds utilities back, and how they can move forward without creating internal resistance.
IN HYDROPOWER, FEW IDEAS enjoy such broad consensus – and yet such slow progress – as digitalisation. Across industry reports, conference panels and policy discussions, the message is consistent: digital optimisation is a “no-brainer.” The tools exist, the data is available, and the potential gains in efficiency, flexibility and revenue are well understood. And yet, on the ground, adoption remains cautious. For Uwe Wehnhardt, former President and CEO
of Voith Hydro, Vice President of the International Hydropower Association and now Senior Advisor to HYDROGRID, this disconnect is neither surprising nor irrational. Speaking from decades of experience across utilities of all sizes, he sees the issue not as a failure of technology, but as a reflection of the realities of operating critical infrastructure. “Hydropower is part of the critical infrastructure,” he says. “And with this, it means you have to be very careful with all kinds of digitalisation.” This caution is not simply conservatism – it is structural. Utilities operate assets that are expected to run reliably for decades, often with minimal intervention. In such an environment, change is not automatically perceived as progress; it is, first and foremost, a risk to be managed.
Why progress still lags The often-cited gap between digital potential and
practical adoption stems from several overlapping factors, beginning with cybersecurity. Any digital initiative in hydropower must meet stringent
requirements around data protection and system integrity, concerns that are central, not peripheral, to operational decision-making. “Cybersecurity needs to be in all people’s minds dealing with this kind of infrastructure,” Wehnhardt explains. At the same time, there is a more subtle but equally powerful challenge: the difficulty of clearly articulating value. Many operators simply do not see an immediate need to change systems that are already working reliably. “We are talking about a setup which runs for weeks, months without any change,” he says. “So why should I digitalise something?” In a sector built on stability, the incremental and data-driven benefits of digitalisation can be difficult to translate into compelling business cases. Compounding this is the role of the wider ecosystem. Not all utilities have access to partners capable of bridging the gap between technology and operations, and without that support, digitalisation can remain an abstract concept rather than a practical pathway. As Wehnhardt notes, “very often the right partner was simply not in place to help utilities understand the benefits or guide them through the first small steps.” In practice, progress is often less about the availability of technology and more about the ability to connect that technology to real operational outcomes. Companies such as HYDROGRID are part of a newer wave of specialist providers aiming to close this gap – combining hydropower domain knowledge with digital optimisation tools to help utilities identify and realise value more quickly.
Uwe Wehnhardt, former President and CEO of Voith Hydro, Vice President of the International Hydropower Association and Senior Advisor to HYDROGRID
10 | May 2026 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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