Easy Hydro is part of the iAMP-Hydro consortium (intelligent Asset Management Platform for Hydropower) that has been awarded with a €4.1 million Horizon Europe project to develop digital solutions that will improve the efficiency, flexibility and sustainability of the existing EU hydropower fleet. The project has the potential to make a huge impact on energy sustainability in the EU, where 50% of the current hydro generation assets may require upgrading by 2030.
The partners of the consortium will improve the operations of existing power stations through the development of new digital sensors and services, which will collectively form iAMP: a novel intelligent Asset Management Platform encompassing secure open and transparent data-sharing protocols and three novel digital solutions. These include new condition monitoring and predictive maintenance tools for hydropower turbines, the ecological water status monitoring and improved weather and flow forecasting.
Within the project, Easy Hydro will lead the development of a tool to improve the operations and maintenance of hydro generation assets. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of the existing hydro fleet by improving flexibility, energy generation and revenues. The full package of digital solutions will be validated at a diverse set of existing hydropower plants located around Europe, producing evidence for policy-makers to support the green and digital transition of hydropower. The hydropower plants where the solutions will be tested include schemes differing between themselves in terms of installed capacity, turbine type, water use, flow and head parameters, climatic conditions, and environmental sensitivities.
The three-years project partnership includes Trinity College Dublin, Easy Hydro, Cuerva Energia, Suite 5 Data Intelligence Solutions, CARTIF, EDP, PPC Renewables, WIP, Norce and Politehnica University of Bucharest.