| Renewables Integration Working together Hydropower can play a key role alongside solar, wind and hydrogen in renewable power production
EUROPEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATOR Statkraft, in cooperation with Norwegian supplier Ocean Sun, has started commercial operations at the first floating solar plant in Albania. Located at the reservoir attached to the 72MW Banja hydropower plant, the first floating solar unit was successfully connected to the grid and started generating renewable energy in June 2021. “This is a great milestone in an innovative floating
solar project, and it is exciting to see the plant come alive and provide additional renewable energy production in Albania,” commented CEO of Statkraft, Christian Rynning-Tønnesen. “[This] achievement marks an important milestone for Statkraft in Albania and a further step in our mission to lead the shift to renewable energy through innovative solutions,” added Rigela Gegprifti, Statkraft’s Country Head in Albania. “After the start of commercial operations of our Banja and Moglice hydropower plants, we are looking into further optimising these renewable assets. The Banja Floating Solar Plant is a concrete example for further integration of different resources of renewable energy.”
Solar hydro The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has
approved A$15 million in funding to RayGen Resources to construct a ‘solar hydro’ power plant comprising 4MW of solar PV generation and 3MW/50MWh (17 hours) of dispatchable storage capacity in north-west Victoria. RayGen’s power plant consists of RayGen’s
proprietary PV Ultra, a concentrating photovoltaic solar co-generation tower, combined with its patented electro-thermal storage. RayGen’s concentrated PV technology generates heat as a by-product which is captured and used for thermal storage. The electro- thermal storage system consists of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine, industrial chillers and two insulated water-based thermal storage pits or reservoirs, each roughly the size of four Olympic size swimming pools. One of the reservoirs is kept at a temperature of 90 degrees and the other at close to 0 degrees, and the temperature difference is used to generate dispatchable electricity using ORC turbines. RayGen says its technology offers a renewable,
modular and scalable solution to the emerging need for longer duration storage.
Strategic partnership Technology provider TechnipFMC, and marine
energy company Bombora, have formed a strategic partnership to develop a floating wave and wind power project. With engineering work initiated in November 2020, the partnership is developing a hybrid system utilising Bombora’s mWave technology. The hybrid system demonstrator will deliver 6MW of combined floating wind and wave power, followed by
Series 1 and Series 2 commercial platforms which are expected to deliver 12 and 18MW respectively. Jonathan Landes, President Subsea at TechnipFMC, commented: “Our core competencies and integration capabilities make us an ideal system architect and partner in developing renewable energy solutions alongside Bombora’s experience and unique, patented mWave technology. We are delighted to work on a project that advances our commitment to the environment while contributing toward a more sustainable future.”
Hydro and hydrogen In new research published in May 2021, the
International Hydropower Association has outlined how hydropower could be pivotal in supporting growth in green hydrogen to help create a net zero future. Projections suggest renewable and low carbon green
hydrogen could grow dramatically in future, with the International Renewable Energy Agency saying it could supply up to eight per cent of overall global energy demand by 2050, with the business-led Hydrogen Council estimating it could supply up to 18%. The IHA says that ambitious growth in green
hydrogen will significantly increase global demand for clean electricity sources such as hydropower. Hydropower is well suited to producing green hydrogen and has played a leading role in this over the past 100 years. Looking ahead it could potentially supply at least 1000TWh of the additional electricity demand required in IRENA’s 2050 scenario. In its newly published paper called The Green
Hydrogen Revolution: Hydropower’s Transformative Role’, IHA calls on governments and industry to: ● Develop enabling policies and financial incentives to stimulate demand for green hydrogen, scale-up projects and reduce technology costs.
● Support decarbonisation of power grids and establish global certification systems that credit green hydrogen produced from clean electricity sources, including hydropower.
● Recognise and support the role of hydropower capacity, alongside other renewables, for green hydrogen production. A balanced portfolio leads to a more secure and sustainable energy mix and helps ensure high utilisation factors for hydrogen electrolysis plants.
● Create markets and policy frameworks that reward flexible electricity supply and demand on the grid.
● Scale-up investment into new renewable power capacity, as soon as possible, to progress grid decarbonisation and cost reductions for green hydrogen. ●
More information The full paper can be downloaded at www.
hydropower.org/news/the-green-hydrogen- revolution-hydropowers-transformative-role
www.waterpowermagazine.com | August 2021 | 45
Below: Hydrogen production plant in Iceland. Future renewable production is predicted to increase and the IHA says that hydropower can play a pivotal role in supporting such growth
Above: Aerial view of floating solar panels
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
