Imagine turning a one-way water slide into a two-way elevator. Instead of just letting water flow down to make power, this tech lets you push water back up when you have extra electricity from wind or sun. It's like using a giant natural battery to save energy for later without needing to build new dams.
Europe lacks sufficient long-term energy storage to handle the intermittent nature of wind and solar power. Building new dams is environmentally difficult and expensive.
A database of 1,200+ hydropower plants, a visualization tool for storage potential, and designs for retrofittable reversible pump turbines including digital twins for hydraulic dynamics.
If you are a renewable energy producer dealing with wasted surplus power during peak generation — this project developed retrofittable pump-turbine technology that can store this energy in existing hydropower sites. This allows you to sell electricity when demand is higher and prices are better.
If you are a plant operator dealing with rigid generation capacities — this project developed a way to convert your facility into a pumped-storage system. This increases your flexibility and efficiency without needing to change reservoir sizes or river volumes.
If you are a manufacturer dealing with a lack of specialized storage components — this project developed new design solutions for reversible pump turbines. This allows you to offer cost-effective retrofitting kits to existing hydropower plants across Europe.
Based on available project data, the project focuses on creating cost-effective solutions and will provide detailed CAPEX and OPEX analysis for future plants, but specific price figures are not listed.
Yes, the project has already mapped over 1,200 hydropower plants across Europe to identify suitable sites for retrofitting.
Based on available project data, the project involves the development of innovative mechanical solutions and digital twins, but specific licensing terms are not provided.
It addresses the instability caused by intermittent wind and solar power by providing a way to absorb surplus generation and deliver it during lulls.
The project runs from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2027, aiming to validate solutions to TRL 4-5.
The consortium is research-heavy with 7 universities and 1 research institute, balanced by 3 industrial partners (27% industry ratio). This structure suggests a strong focus on technical validation and mapping, with a small number of SMEs and industrial players ensuring the results are aligned with market needs across 6 European countries.
Luleå University of Technology (SE)
Contact us to connect with the STORE2HYDRO consortium for early access to the hydropower retrofitting database.
