Advancements in Hydropower Design and Operation for Present and Future Electrical Demand

With the current infrastructure, meeting the ever-growing demand for electrical energy across the globe is becoming increasingly difficult. The widespread adoption of both commercial and residential non-dispatchable renewable energy facilities, such as solar and wind, further taxes the stability of the electrical grid, often causing traditional fossil fuel power plants to operate at lower efficiency, and with increased carbon emissions. Hydropower, as a proven renewable energy technology, has a significant part to play in the future global electrical power market, especially as increasing demand for electric vehicles will further amplify the need for dispatchable energy sources during peak charging times. Even with more than a century of proven experience, significant opportunities still exist to expand the worldwide hydropower resources and more efficiently utilize existing hydropower installations.

Given this context, this Special Issue of Energies was intended to present recent developments and advancements in hydropower design and operation. This Special Issue includes five articles, authored by international research teams from Japan, Pakistan, Sweden, Norway, the United States, and China. The authors bring the collective expertise of government research laboratories, university professors, industry research engineers, computer scientists, and economists. The articles explore advancements in hydroturbine and pump-turbine design, power plant operation, auxiliary equipment design to mitigate environmental damage, and an exploration of community-owned small hydropower facilities.

The articles contained in this Special Issue are:

• Flow Characteristics of Preliminary Shutdown and Startup Sequences for a Model Counter-Rotating Pump-Turbine [1].
• Flow Deflection between Guide Vanes in a Pump Turbine Operating in Pump Mode with a Slight Opening [2].
• Investigations of Rake and Rib Structures in Sand Traps to Prevent Sediment Transport in Hydropower Plants [3].
• Neural Network-Based Control for Hybrid PV and Ternary Pumped-Storage Hydro Plants [4].
• Community-Based Business on Small Hydropower (SHP) in Rural Japan: A Case Study on a Community Owned SHP Model of Ohito Agricultural Cooperative [5].

To conclude, the future of the global energy industry, while difficult to predict, will undoubtably include an ever-increasing portfolio of renewable energy sources. Hydroturbine and pump-turbine design engineers continue to find new improvements in efficiency [1,2,3]. As a result of ever-advancing system operations and control [4], hydropower will continue to be a major electricity contributor, given its historically proven reliability. The ability to dispatch energy generation when needed is a key element of maintaining stable electrical power grids to support growing global electrical demand. Many locations worldwide have significant untapped hydropower potential that will likely be developed in the coming decades [5]. The successful future of worldwide electrical energy production and distribution will require collaboration among governments, environmental agencies, corporations, and researchers.