Imagine giving an old water wheel a high-tech brain and a heart transplant. This project updates old dams with smart sensors and fish-friendly turbines so they produce more power without harming nature. It's like upgrading an old car to be an electric hybrid that also cleans the air as it drives.
Old hydropower plants are inefficient and often harm fish and river ecosystems, making them incompatible with modern environmental laws and the need for flexible, dispatchable green energy.
A suite of digital monitoring tools for cavitation and machine health, fish-friendly turbines, and eDNA-based biodiversity tracking systems.
If you are a plant operator dealing with aging equipment and strict environmental laws — this project developed digital monitoring tools and fish-friendly turbines that improve efficiency while protecting biodiversity. This allows you to stay compliant and increase power output.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with a global need for hydropower expansion — this project developed innovative retrofitting concepts like pumped hydro and hybridization. These solutions can help you capture a share of a market expected to increase by 275 million euros.
If you are a consultancy dealing with river ecosystem restoration — this project developed eDNA monitoring tools and environmental flow systems. These tools allow you to prove biodiversity improvements and manage water for navigation and flood mitigation more effectively.
Based on available project data, specific pricing for the tools is not provided, but the project aims to increase the global market by 275 million euros.
Yes, the project uses demonstration sites to prove that monitoring tools and new turbines are replicable at European and global levels.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the results are intended to give European industries commercial advantages.
The project focuses on meeting modern sustainability standards for biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and environmental flow requirements.
The project runs from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2028, focusing on demonstration and validation.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward commercial application, with 16 industry partners representing 67% of the 24 total members. This strong industrial presence, combined with 3 universities and 3 research centers across 7 countries, suggests a high focus on market-ready outcomes rather than theoretical research.
Contact SINTEF ENERGI AS in Norway for technical partnership details.
Contact us to identify which of the 16 industry partners matches your technology needs.
