11 July 2018

A multi-stakeholder coalition of civil society, industry, governments and financial institutions today launched an expanded suite of tools for assessing hydropower projects against sustainability performance criteria.

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, the world’s leading scoring framework for evaluating hydropower projects, has been updated to examine hydropower’s carbon footprint and resilience to climate change. In addition, a new tool will enable project proponents and investors to identify and address gaps against international good practice.

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“Today marks the most significant expansion in the tools available to assess hydropower performance in almost a decade, following extensive consultation within and beyond the hydropower sector,” commented Mr Roger Gill, Chair of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol’s governance committee.

“This is good news for both project proponents and concerned stakeholders who want to measure projects against international practice. Developers and investors now have a targeted, cost effective way of assessing sustainability, while governments and communities can be confident that evaluations are based on robust, objective criteria,” he added.

The new suite of tools comprises:

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An expansion of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, first launched in 2010, to cover best and good practice in climate mitigation and resilience. A project that scores well under the new criteria will have a low carbon footprint and be resilient to the impacts of climate change.

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A new Hydropower Sustainability Environmental, Social and Governance Gap Analysis Tool. Modelled on the Protocol’s evaluation framework, the ESG Tool offers a targeted assessment across 12 core sections, including biodiversity, downstream flows, project affected communities, cultural heritage, working conditions, and infrastructure safety, as well as climate change.

The International Hydropower Association (IHA) supports the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Council as the Protocol’s management body, overseeing the training and accreditation of independent assessors. Assessments can be made at all stages of a hydropower project’s lifetime, from preparation, to development and operation.

Richard Taylor, Chief Executive of IHA, commented: 

“With this announcement, the hydropower sector now has two ways to demonstrate the sustainability credentials of a project. The ESG Tool will allow companies to identify good practice and address gaps through a management plan, providing vital reassurance to investors and other stakeholders. For companies that require a more comprehensive assessment, the Protocol remains the first choice for benchmarking a project and showcasing how it performs against international good practice and proven best practice.”

Doug Smith, an accredited assessor who helped to develop the expanded suite of tools, said: 

“The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol’s new climate change topic will underline its status as the leading tool for hydropower assessment, reflecting newly built consensus in both greenhouse-gas emissions and climate resilience. The ESG Tool’s impact on the sector could also be profound, as the assessments will be systematic and rapid, without compromising rigour, and will include an action plan to close any gaps against good practice.”

Dr James Dalton, Director of the Global Water Programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), commented: 

“Developing tools and guidelines to help guide society with the resource management choices we face is critical to our future economic, social and environmental development. The hydropower industry has learned from the last eight years of Protocol experience. Building this experience into the Protocol and the new ESG tool is critical to help industry and investors learn, gain confidence in the tools, and expand the use of the Protocol.”

Luiz Gabriel Todt de Azevedo, Chief of the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Division of IDB Invest, part of the Inter-American Development Corporation, commented that the new ESG Tool aligns with the Protocol’s goal of promoting sustainable hydropower. 

“The new ESG Tool responds to industry demands. It is an agile and low-cost alternative to be employed by developers and operators in the first level assessment of their projects,” he said.

The tool was developed by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) under the mandate of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Council and with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Further information:

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol was developed in response to the World Commission on Dams, which showed the need for the hydropower sector to have a global tool for reporting sustainability.

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Council, which governs the Protocol, includes environmental NGOs and IGOs (The Nature Conservancy, WWF, IUCN), social NGOs (Transparency International, Women for Water Partnership), development banks (World Bank Group, Inter-American Development Corporation), governments (Norway, Switzerland), and hydropower sector owners and contractors.

The new ESG Tool focuses on 12 sections: Environmental and social impact assessment and management; Labour and working conditions; Downstream flows, sedimentation and water quality; Project-affected communities and livelihoods; Resettlement; Indigenous peoples; Biodiversity and invasive species; Cultural heritage; Infrastructure safety; Climate change mitigation and resilience; Communications and consultation; and Governance and procurement.

To download the suite of tools and find out more information, please visit: hydropower.org/sustainability

5 September 2018

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA) have signed a partnership agreement to support sustainable development involving hydropower across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The memorandum of understanding agreed by the heads of the two organisations seeks to expand opportunities for the exchange and adoption of good industry practices with the goal of enhancing the technical, social, economic and environmental performance of new and existing projects.  

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The IDB provides loans, grants and technical assistance for major renewable energy projects and champions research into climate change and sustainability, innovation and social inclusion.

IHA is an international non-profit association established under the auspices of UNESCO. With members in more than 100 countries, the association’s mission is to advance sustainable hydropower by building and sharing knowledge renewable energy systems, freshwater management and climate change solutions.

On signing the agreement, IDB´s Infrastructure and Energy Sector Manager Agustin Aguerre said: "One of the key drivers for this collaboration is that both institutions have a strong focus on supporting sustainable development. The focus in this particular case is hydropower. We are thrilled to work with IHA in the development of solutions, programmes and the advancement of hydropower as one of the cleanest energy sources that will foster the Latin American and the Caribbean’s advancement.”

IHA Chief Executive Richard Taylor said: “IHA is delighted to partner with the Inter-American Development Bank. The bank was an important voice in the development of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, the internationally recognised tool for assessing hydropower’s performance. This new agreement will expand opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing and support the adoption of good practices in the planning, financing, development, operation and modernisation of hydropower projects.”

The partnership agreement follows a joint IDB-IHA international workshop which was held last week to build knowledge on how digital systems are advancing hydropower operations, maintenance and modernisation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The workshop on 27 and 28 August was hosted by the Joint Technical Commission of Salto Grande, a major binational hydropower project on the Uruguay River between Argentina and Uruguay. To find out more please visit the event web page. 

The role of digital systems in advancing hydropower operations will be on the agenda of the World Hydropower Congress, to be held in Paris between 14 and 16 May 2019. The conference is organised in partnership with UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme. Register your interest at www.hydropower.org/congress

11 October 2018

More than 70 senior hydropower decision-makers came together for an IHA workshop to share experiences and look at tools to improve project performance and deal with challenges such asdigitalisation and climate change.

The workshop, which took place on 19 September 2018, was hosted in partnership with UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris, France.

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During the workshop, IHA gave a presentation about new draft climate resilience guidelines for the hydropower sector which are being tested by IHA and its members in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank.

The guidelines aim to incorporate climate change resilience and hydrological risk management into hydropower project appraisal, design, construction and operation, resulting in more robust and resilient projects.

María Ubierna, Senior Hydropower Sector Analyst at IHA, said the guidelines would address the needs of the hydropower sector, wider financial community, policy makers and local communities. “These guidelines will help project owners and developers to go step by step to ensure that projects are resilient. There were no guidelines on this previously,” she said.

Dr Gabriel Azevedo, Chief of the Environmental, Social & Governance Division at IDB Invest, commented: “We think these guidelines can help a lot - we hope to be applying them to a few projects in the coming months.”

On the subject of digitalisation and data gathering, Stela Nenova, Corporate Affairs Advisor at ENTSO-E, said: “It’s very important, when talking about data and decision-making, that we gather good quality data and make tools openly available. Hydropower generators can help by providing better data and better access to data.”

Dr Óli Sveinsson, Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Landsvirkjun, highlighted the importance of data monitoring at hydropower infrastructure in tandem with visual inspections. “Using data efficiently requires a number of steps - in our case, investing in these steps has been highly rewarding.”

This sentiment was echoed by Daniel Paschini, Director of EDF-GEH’s Maurienne hydro business unit, who also remarked that although decision-makers can now benefit from computerised models and ‘big data’ processing, these technologies “cannot replace human intelligence, good organisation or skilled staff.”

During another session, speakers presented several tools which can help decision-makers with the reporting and benchmarking of sustainability practices at all stages of project development.

João Costa, IHA Sustainability Specialist, gave a presentation on the internationally recognised Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, which has been expanded to cover an assessment of a project’s resilience to climate change, and the Environmental, Social and Governance Gap Analysis (ESG) Tool, which was launched in July this year.  

The Protocol and ESG Tool provide decision-makers with the “knowledge, evidence and structure to allow them to make decisions in an informed way,” Mr Costa said.

Dr Julien Harou, Chair in Water Engineering at the University of Manchester, commented that the Protocol was “ahead of the game” and “looks at how hydropower can become, socially, environmentally and economically, a responsible and proactive player.”

Participants also learned about the GHG Reservoir (G-res) Tool, which allows project stakeholders to report on the carbon footprint of a reservoir. “The G-res Tool provides a more efficient and accurate non-field sampling way to assess the greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs,” said Sara Mercier-Blais, Research Associate at Université du Québec à Montréal.

Richard Taylor, IHA’s Chief Executive, closed the workshop by saying: “We’ve always had to make decisions under uncertainty, but it’s important to be able to explain why we make the decisions we do, and we need to work together to find solutions.” 

The workshop is part of a series of events leading up to the 2019 World Hydropower Congress between 14-16 May 2019. The next workshop in the series looks at hydropower financing under climate change on 30 January 2019 in London, UK. For more information, visit the workshop's web page or to register your interest contact events@hydropower.org

Visit the event webpage for more information about this Paris workshop.

An initiative in Uganda seeks to help agricultural development by encouraging the implementation of small hydropower projects that deliver electricity to farmers, agribusiness, and other customers in the area surrounding the power plant. Economic analysis indicates that such projects can have a large and positive impact on agricultural production and productivity. What is needed now is investment for such power projects, writes Linda Lee Bower.

Uganda is a primarily a rural, agricultural country. Agriculture represents almost three quarters of total employment and one quarter of gross domestic product (GDP). The sector also accounts for most of Uganda’s exports: coffee is the biggest export earner, along with other agricultural products including tea and cotton, among others.

The role of electricity in agriculture

Energy is a very important factor in increasing agricultural productivity. Modern agriculture requires energy input at all stages of production, including post-harvest activities such as drying and milling, hulling, grading, roasting, and packaging, among others. 
Currently in Uganda, electricity from the national grid is not available in rural areas.

Consequently, most post-harvest processes are performed by hand. Some concerns rely on diesel generators, but this method is two to six times more expensive than grid-based electricity. Thus, new hydroelectric power plants in rural areas can accelerate agricultural growth and economic development. Hydropower is one of the least expensive methods of generating electricity.

Uganda’s renewable energy policy

The government of Uganda’s policy vision is to make modern renewable energy a substantial part of national energy consumption. A very important element in this program is attracting investment for projects and financing them. One focus is on small hydropower projects. 

The national grid is owned and operated by the Government of Uganda; but for small hydropower projects (under 20 MW), private investment is allowed, and foreign investment is welcome. The business model is that the investor builds a hydropower project and sells electricity output to the national grid under a 20-year contract at a good price that yields a 15–20 per cent return to the investor. 

Presently, small hydropower plants account for only a small percentage of electricity generation capacity in Uganda, but a lot of potential exists. Uganda has many small rivers where hydropower plants could be developed. More than 50 potential small hydropower sites have been identified in Uganda through various studies.

This framework fosters the expansion of the supply of energy to the grid, but it does not facilitate local distribution networks to provide electricity in the area surrounding the plant. To address this issue, the Ugandan Government created the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), which has a mandate to invest in the expansion of local distribution networks to increase electricity distribution in rural areas. However, this agency is overwhelmed by many requests, and investment needs exceed government funding capacity.

Another issue is that while the potential users want to have electricity and could afford the monthly bill, the initial costs (such as meters installed on customer premises or new electric-powered machinery) may be beyond their means.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has established a program to address these issues.

USAID’s Power for Rural Livelihoods Activity

USAID’s Feed the Future program has a “Power for Rural Livelihoods Activity” (PRLA), which seeks to achieve agricultural development through increased availability of power. The objective of this activity is to increase the value of selected agricultural products through improved post-harvest operations. The program focuses on the value chains for coffee, beans and maize. 

This is seen as a win-win opportunity for investors interested in building hydropower plants"

USAID has developed a concept that adds incentives to investors to include local distribution networks in their projects – incentives such as loan guarantees and assistance with environmental impact assessments and feasibility studies.

This is seen as a win-win opportunity for investors interested in building hydropower plants, as they can make additional revenues and profits from running the distribution network, and can also make an important contribution to the local community, which could be presented in the context of corporate social responsibility.

For the local customers, the model could assist with the initial capital costs of new electrical machinery for agribusiness or could help with the cost of installing meters in households.

Case study: Kapchorwa

One potential site for a hydroelectric project is located at Atari Falls in Kapchorwa in eastern Uganda. 

One farmers’ co-op located in Kapchorwa is the Kapchorwa Commercial Farmers Association (Kacofa). Kacofa is made up of 6,300 farmers, representing about 30 per cent of households in the area.  This co-op has a vision to transform the practices of its members from subsistence agriculture to profitable and sustainable commercial farming that provides income. 

Currently, few Kacofa farmers have powered equipment, and most post-harvest processes are done by hand. Kacofa leadership desires an adequate supply of reliable electricity to increase efficiency in processing crops, and to add value by moving more into processing and higher-value agribusiness activities. For example, the addition of a milling machine in the Kacofa facility would add value, and a machine shop would enable rapid repair of broken plows and other equipment. Also of interest to Kacofa is irrigation, which a hydropower project could enable. Irrigation would enable farmers to increase productivity, expand their acreage, and diversify into higher value crops.

Conclusions

An analysis of the potential to Kapchorwa indicates that delivering electricity to farmers that grow coffee, maize and beans may result in a 50 per cent increase in their annual income.

The main finding is that small hydropower projects with local distribution can have a large and positive direct impact on farmers’ income, private sector activities, and indirectly on households and non-agriculture business, resulting in economic growth and poverty reduction.

The author, Linda Lee Bower, participated in a project sponsored by USAID to examine the costs and benefits of small hydroelectric projects in Uganda to deliver electricity to farmers, agribusiness, and other customers in rural areas surrounding such projects.

Kandeh Yumkella is the United Nations under-secretary general and the chief executive of Sustainable Energy for All. In this video interview, he spoke with us about the challenges in managing water resources and sustainably building new hydropower capacity. You can read more of the interview below.

What is Sustainable Energy For All? 

The Sustainable Energy for All initiative was launched by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President Jim Yong Kim of the World Bank to promote the idea of sustainable energy for all.  
It has three targets: to achieve universal access to energy by 2030; to double the annual rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030; and to double the share of renewables by 2030.  Three targets in one narrative to keep the world within 2 degrees [temperature rise in celsius], and end energy poverty. 

Hydropower has to play a significant role, because it is one of the renewable energy sources and one of the cheapest forms of providing electricity. So we see hydropower as an integral part of Sustainable Energy for All.

What can we do better in the provision of sustainable water and energy services to the global population?

First of all we have to be cognisant of that important link between energy and water.  In many cases we need water to produce energy, but at the same time we need energy to make access to clean water possible. 

Most energy systems are thirsty apart from the use of water directly for generating power. Most energy technologies, including some of the renewable technologies, require water for cooling systems. How we use that water for producing energy must be optimised and done more efficiently.  

We need agreement on how we balance hydropower production with making clean water available for urban communities that are sprawling along river basins"

At the same time, communities need energy to have access to clean water, and then you begin to see the linkages between energy access, water access and food security.  

We believe we need to look at all three at the same time, and so we talk about the multiple benefits of the water–energy nexus for human development. We need to keep that in mind as we design programmes.

How do you think sustainability values can help promote development?

We believe that energy is the ultimate enabler of sustainable development.  This is why Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President Kim have led us in this campaign to ensure that energy access is included in the post-2015 development agenda.  

The secretary general has defined energy as the golden thread that runs through all pillars of sustainable development, meaning that without access to affordable, reliable energy we cannot get the health systems to run, we cannot make clean water available and ensure sanitation, nor can we ensure proper production of food.  

But in the case of using water to produce energy, we also have to put it in the context of climate change. If climate change worsens it means our reservoirs will not be able to generate as much power as we anticipate, and therefore hydropower production sustainability must be at the core of those kinds of projects. 

We also need to address sustainability in terms of eco-systems management within those river basins, and how we share these resources among countries, as a lot of rivers are trans-boundary.

How can water resources be managed at the regional level?

I think the biggest challenge, first of all, is agreeing on an inclusive dialogue that will make sure that resources can be shared optimally.

Secondly, we need agreement on how we balance hydropower production with making clean water available for urban communities that are sprawling along river basins, and thirdly how that water would be available for irrigation.

We have limited supplies of clean water. How we use that and share those resources among countries that live around river basins is going to be crucial.  

I know there are many successful examples to look at.  I live in Vienna and I know there are a good set of initiatives and institutions built around how communities are using the Danube River.  

Between the Austrians, Hungarians and other neighbours they have been able to cleverly use those water resources for navigation and movement of products along those rivers, for power generation, clean water availability and irrigation, while protecting the eco-systems.

Can the world’s hydropower capacity be doubled by 2050?

I believe that capacity expansion is possible but it has to be done within the context of sustainability, and sharing of best practices and developing good knowledge systems will be crucial if we are going to achieve that level of scale-up.

In doing this, we must emphasise stronger international co-operation, and assistance that can ensure better negotiations on how to use those water resources in a more inclusive way within the context of climate change.

Remember the worse scenarios of climate change predict droughts in some locations – so if you build a dam and then there is no water, then that is going to be a problem. And in other locations, floods will be a problem.

Will these new hydropower installations be climate-proofed properly?  Will they have resilience in case there is too much water?  How do you manage those water resources, and in fact do you have all the systems of storing water when you have these major changes in climate conditions?

If we deal with all these issues in the next 20 or 30 years, then the capacity of hydropower can be doubled – but we have to do it in a very careful way to make sure we avoid conflict.

Sami Khan is the winner of the IHA Young Researcher Award 2015. In the article, he discusses his research on how hydrophobic materials can help to improve the efficiency of hydropower systems.

For decades, hydropower has provided a clean, alternative form of energy that still continues to meet the ever-increasing global electricity demand. Presently, hydropower accounts for about 7 per cent of the electricity needs in the US and is a vital component of the clean-energy mix; representing about 52 per cent of the total renewable energy generation.

Hydropower turbines have evolved to become extremely efficient. With over 90 per cent net efficiency, hydropower systems have served as an excellent model for harnessing maximum potential while maintaining a high standard of performance and reliability. 

Despite these high performance metrics, hydropower systems have not been immune from environmental factors that affect long-term performance and increase annual maintenance costs. A common example is bio-fouling – in particular, infestation by zebra mussels in many North American hydropower facilities

These species rapidly adhere to hydropower conveyance structures such as penstocks, as well as inside cooling water systems for turbines (see Figure 1, left).

Some plants have adopted chemical treatment procedures to mitigate the infestation; however, such methods have large annual operating costs (estimated around USD 100,000 per year), and may have detrimental environment effects.

Corrosion of plant components, drag-induced losses and scale-formation are other issues that potentially affect the performance of hydropower systems.
 
Thus, it is highly desirable to have a long-term robust solution in the form of infrastructural upgrades that can address some of these challenges and thereby reduce net annual costs for hydropower facilities.

In this research we make a case for robust hydrophobic rare-earth oxide materials in these upgrades that provide a promising one-stop solution to these issues.

What are hydrophobic materials?

The word hydrophobic, derived from ancient Greek, literally means 'water fearing'. A common example of a hydrophobic material is the lotus leaf: with a slippery, waxy coating on the surface it is capable of keeping itself remarkably dry.

Typically, industrial hydrophobic materials are made from organic derivatives such as waxes or polymers. The problem with organic hydrophobic coatings is longevity: when exposed to harsh environments such as steam or flowing water for example, these materials often degrade and are hence unable to maintain their water-repellency in the long run.

As such, hydrophobic materials that possess robustness to withstand such conditions are extremely desirable.

The particular class of robust hydrophobic materials investigated in this research is called the rare-earth oxide group of ceramics, which are compounds of the lanthanide series elements. Their name is a misnomer; rare-earth oxides are in-fact highly abundant in the earth’s crust and are naturally-occurring.

We demonstrate that all rare-earth oxides from cerium oxide to lutetium oxide have the extraordinary capability of repelling water and staying dry (See Figure 2, left). Unlike typical hydrophobic materials such as waxes, these materials can sustain their hydrophobicity in harsh temperature, pressure and flow conditions.

An added advantage is that rare-earth oxides are relatively cheap compared to other hydrophobic materials; their present market value is about USD 40–60 per kg, and is forecasted to stay unchanged over the next few years. 

How are hydrophobic rare-earth oxides beneficial for hydropower systems?

What is also incredible about hydrophobic rare-earth oxides is their ability to repel not just water, but also solids – in other words, these materials possess a low surface energy. A non-stick pan coated with Teflon is a perfect example of this phenomenon: not only is it hydrophobic, but also resists food solids from sticking.

Given their remarkable hydrophobic potential, we envision that low-surface energy hydrophobic rare-earth oxides can greatly reduce or even eliminate bio-fouling in hydropower systems.

Other added advantages are corrosion-resistance and drag reduction: being hydrophobic, these materials minimize friction in flow conditions, thereby reducing drag-induced performance losses.

A common concern with coatings is their longevity and adhesion over time. Being ceramics, hydrophobic rare-earth oxides already have an inherent advantage over typical epoxy or paint coatings due to their superior robustness.

We show that coatings of rare-earth oxides as thin as a few hundred nanometers do not deteriorate in harsh steam environments.

We also demonstrate that these coatings completely repel high-speed impinging water drops (see Figure 3, left). In view of these results, we envisage promising long-term stability of these coatings in hydropower systems.

In conclusion, hydrophobic rare-earth oxide coatings present an attractive multi-dimensional package of enhancements for the hydropower industry. These benefits include bio-fouling resistance, drag reduction, corrosion resistance, and overall, a reliable, long-term form of protection.

Further research would need to evaluate the long-term capital and operating costs in more detail and justify benefits for a typical plant, as well as prove longevity and versatility of applications.

These coatings can be retrofitted in existing systems or applied in new plants, and should be considered by hydropower facilities in the overall scheme of infrastructure modernisation.

Sami Khan is presenting his research at the session on Modernisation: how can existing assets be optimised? at the 2015 World Hydropower Congress. 

The 2015 World Hydropower got under way at the iconic Sunrise Kempinski Hotel at Yanqi Lake, Beijing, China on Tuesday 19 May. Here are some of the best moments from the opening day.

Delegation leaders meet for the Hydropower Consultative Council

On the morning of the opening day, high-level representatives of the congress delegations gathered at Yanqi Hotel State Guest House for the Hydropower Consutative Council. The meeting brought together key figures from government, academia, civil society, finance and industry to discuss strategies for the hydropower sector. 

Congress participants gather at Sunrise Kempinski Hotel

Afte the Consultative Council, participants headed to the stunning Kempinski Sunrise Hotel on Yanqi Lake for the World Hydropower Congress opening ceremony. You can read more about the venue here.

IHA president Ken Adams officially opens the congress

IHA president Ken Adams officially opened the congress with a speech to packed hall of delegates, saying that "if we are to meet the challenges of a changing climate and global freshwater management, the contribution of hydropower and the multiple benefits it provides cannot be ignored". You can read more about the opening day speeches here.

Bringing together diverse perspectives to build a common language on hydropower

Over 1,000 representatives of government, civil society, the finance sector, academia and industry gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Sunrise Kempinski Hotel for the congress.

Wang Lin, president of China Three Gorges Corporation, addresses delegates

The first part of the opening ceremony featured a number of VIP speakers from hydropower organisations and companies in China. Among them was Wang Lin, president of China Three Gorges Corporation. In his speech he told delegates that "Hydropower sustainability is associated with the wellbeing of the whole of society".

Jin-Yong Cai, CEO of IFC, participates in a panel discussion

The second part of the opening ceremonies featured a high-level panel of speakers to discuss international collaboration and hydropower development. The panel included Jin-Yong Cai, president and CEO of the International Finance Corporation. He said: "Middle income and large emerging economies are influencing the development of hydropower worldwide through demonstration effects – by showing how these projects can be managed well to the benefit of their populations."

The welcome banquet begins

On the evening of the opening banquet, delegates headed to the beautiful nearby Temple of Heaven venue for the welcome banquet. Wan Qianzi and Greg Tracz hosted the evening, which featured a number of special awards and live entertainment.

Lin Chuxue and Li Jugen receive special awards

IHA president Ken Adams (right) presented special awards to Lin Chuxue (left, China Three Gorges Corporation) and Li Jugen (centre, China Society for Hydropower Engineering) acknowledging their invaluable contribution to the association and to the sector.

The 2015 Mosonyi Award for Excellence in Hydropower is presented

Mr Adams also presented Luiz Gabriel Azevedo (Odebrecht), and Dr Helen Locher (Hydro Tasmania) with the 2015 Mosonyi Award for Excellence in Hydropower. Jean-Étienne Klimpt is also a recipient of the 2015 award, but was not able to attend the ceremony. Read more here.

Sami Khan receives the IHA Young Researcher Award 2015

The final presentation of the night was the IHA Young Researcher Award 2015, which was awarded to Sami Khan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his work on hydrophobic rare-earth oxide coatings and their potential application in hydropower systems. You can read Sami's article about the research here.

The 2015 World Hydropower Congress is taking place in 19–21 May in Beijing, China. You can view the full programme here, or read about the topics on the agenda in our blog.

The 2015 World Hydropower Congress has drawn to a close. Here we take a look at the highlights of the final two days of the congress.

The African Union Commission convenes the day two opening plenary

H..E. Dr Elham Ibrahim, African Union Commissioner for Energy and Infrastructure, spoke in the opening plenary on Africa: the future of hydropower on day two of the congress. The session explored the untapped potential for hydropower development in Africa, and the challenges in building partnership across boundaries.

Can we achieve 2050 GW by 2050 sustainably?

Jacob Irving, president of the Canadian Hydropower Association, spoke in the session on 2050 GW by 2050, which explored how world hydropower capacity might be doubled in the next generation. 

How does hydropower fit into the water–energy nexus?

Marie-Jose Nadeau, chair of the World Energy Council (WEC), was among the speakers in the session on the water–energy nexus and how hydrpower fits into the picutre. A new WEC report produced in collaboration with IHA shows that hydropower is set to continue its strong growth rate.

The congress venue: integrating renewable energy

The World Hydropower Congress took place at Beijing's iconic Sunrise Kempinski Hotel at Yanqi Lake. The complex is powered by a complementary mixture of renewable energy sources. A solar photovoltaic system is applied to the main building’s roof, while a hydropower dam nearby on the lake is fitted with solar panels. Find out more here.

Ministers give perspectives on hydro development in Asia

In a session moderated by Ashok Bhargava, director of the Asian Development Bank's East Asia Division, government representatives from Pakistan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Loas provided an overview of development trends in the region, as well as a development bank insight from IFC.

The closing ceremony begins on Yanqi Island

The closing session of the congress took place in the spectacular Yanqi Island Conference Centre.

IHA vice presidents and committee chairs report on progress

During the closing ceremony, the vice presidents and committee chairs of the International Hydropower Assocation updated delegates on progress with the current work programme.

Li Jugen, CSHE, delivers closing speech

Li Jugen, vice standing president and acting secretary-general of the China Society for Hydropower Engineering, gave an animated speech at the closing ceremony of the congress.

Ten commitments for hydropower: congress pledges new actions

In his final address to congress delegates, IHA chief executive Richard Taylor outlined ten commitments that the association pledges to deliver following the discussions in Beijing. Read more here.

Congress organisers gather on stage

At the closing of the congress, the organising team was invited onto stage, including members of the IHA Board and staff, as well as organising partners and sponsors.

Delegates enjoy outdoor closing banquet

The final day concluded with an outdoor banquet and live entertainment, at the beautiful shores of Yanqi Lake.

10 December 2018

Young engineers and scientists researching hydropower, water and energy systems can now apply for the International Hydropower Association’s prestigious Young Researcher of the Year award.

The 2019 award, which recognises and rewards emerging talent in academia and the hydropower sector, will be presented at the World Hydropower Congress in Paris, 14-16 May 2019. 

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Open to academic researchers aged under 30, entrants are invited to submit a short article summarising their work (no more than 1,500 words). The subject must be relevant to at least one of the topics under discussion at the upcoming World Hydropower Congress.

The winner will receive a year’s individual membership with IHA and free registration to the 2019 Congress, where they will be invited to present their research. Those who make the shortlist will have their articles published on the IHA website.

IHA’s Chief Executive Richard Taylor said: “The IHA Young Researcher Award provides an opportunity for young innovators to share their research with key representatives from the hydropower sector, government, financial and academic institutions and civil society. It is a rare chance to bring specialist research findings to the attention of policy-makers from around the world.”

The award was first presented at the 2015 World Hydropower Congress in Beijing, China, where it was won by Sami Khan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his work on hydrophobic rare-earth oxide coatings and their potential application in hydropower systems.

It was awarded again at the 2017 World Hydropower Congress in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The recipients were Alexandros Korkovelos of KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sara Mercier-Blais of the University of Quebec in Montreal and Rafael Schmitt of UC Berkeley.

Since winning the award, Dr Schmitt has become Lead Hydrologist and a postdoctoral researcher at The Natural Capital Project at Stanford University. He referred to the experience as a “pivotal moment” for his research.

“The World Hydropower Congress exposed me to real-world challenges and led me to direct my research towards decision-relevant research questions. The network I established during the Congress has led to ongoing collaborations and research opportunities with key actors in the hydropower sector,” said Dr Schmitt.

This sentiment was echoed by Ms Mercier-Blais, for whom the Congress was a “first step” into the hydropower sector. “By attending different panel sessions, I learned about many subjects, which has helped me to better understand the context I am now working with.”

The 2019 World Hydropower Congress will focus on hydropower’s role in delivering the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is expected to bring together representatives from more than 100 countries.

To qualify, entrants must have been born after 31 December 1988 and must be affiliated with an academic institution. To find out more about the IHA Young Researcher Award, including the full entry criteria, visit www.hydropower.org/iha-young-researcher-award.

Register for the 2019 World Hydropower Congress. 

13 December 2018

New sustainability guidelines released today present a definition of the processes and outcomes relating to good international practice in the hydropower sector.

The Hydropower Sustainability Guidelines on Good International Industry Practice are a reference document to meet the expectations of lenders, regulators, and consumers.

Derived through consultation with a broad coalition of industry, civil society, governments and financial institutions, the set of 26 guidelines define expected sustainability performance around a range of environmental, social, technical and governance topics relevant to hydropower activities.

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Richard Taylor, Chief Executive of IHA, said: “The publication of the guidelines is a major landmark for the hydropower sector. They are a much-needed reference document, as they set out what constitutes good practice in processes and outcomes for sustainable hydropower.”

Roger Gill, Chair of the Council’s governance committee, said the guidelines should “demystify what is required to advance sustainable hydropower”. “Use of the guidelines on good international industry practice will enable hydropower developers and operators across the world to step up to ensure their projects can meet the needs and expectations of the communities they serve,” he stated.  

Aligned with standards developed by the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and the Equator Principles group of banks, the guidelines are hydropower-specific and designed to support assessments of project performance using the Council’s internationally recognised Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol and ESG Gap Analysis Tool.

Developed for a range of stages in the planning, development and operation of a hydropower project, compliance with each guideline can be specified in commercial contracts between financiers and developers, and developers and contractors.

Lesha Witmer, Advocacy Lead for the NGO Women for Water Partnership, a member of the Council’s governance committee, said the new sustainability guidelines are “an important tool” for developers as well as governments, environmental organisations and local communities. “It is extremely important to have good guidance and examples on how to sustainably use water for energy - and energy for water - adhering to implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 7. The guidelines on good practice are a contribution to do just that.”

Eduard Wojczynski, a specialist consultant on hydropower sustainability, said: “The sustainability guidelines are a well-articulated and concise set of principles which will be useful in both developing and developed countries. They are important in that they will assist in ensuring hydropower is developed and operated in a sustainable manner and in enhancing societal acceptance of hydropower.”

Download the Hydropower Sustainability Guidelines at hydropower.org/sustainabilityguidelines