In the transition towards a low-carbon, sustainable and resilient energy system that aims for climate neutrality by 2050, hydroelectric power can fulfill the increasingly important task of providing services for balancing consumption and energy production, thanks to flexible generation and storage capacity. In order to be included in the policy strategies of the European Green Deal, hydroelectric power shall however overcome some social, economic and environmental barriers, to encourage the social acceptability of the related works and the construction of new plants. That said, we can not overlook the safety issues associated to the aging of hydroelectric infrastructures, which are particularly felt in Europe as well as in Italy, where the average age of such works is of approximately 65 years.
The report describes the technical-scientific activities that RSE carried out in three Italian ITCOLD [Italian National Committee for Large Dams] working groups (i.e. Interception and discharge devices; Behavior, problems, reconstruction of lightened gravity and buttress dams; Benefits and problems associated with the presence of artificial reservoirs on the territory – Socioeconomic and environmental investigation on the ‘Dam – Territory’ relationship), in the European Working Group Penstocks & Pressure Shafts and in the ICOLD international Technical Committee Computational Aspects of Analysis and Design of Dams. These activities deal with both the structural safety of existing plants and non-technological issues associated to the social acceptability of dams in the territory. The report concludes with the presentation of the research and innovation priorities of the hydroelectric power sector and the development strategies to be pursued in order to have an active role in the green transition process, which were defined in the HYDROPOWER-EUROPE project thanks to the contribution provided by numerous European stakeholders including RSE. These topics were the subject of two brochures published at the end of 2021, which summarize the content of two strategic documents of the project that will be issued next year to support the role of hydroelectricity at European and national political institutions: the Research and Innovation Agenda and the Strategic Industry Roadmap.