CEDREN_annual report 2015

Benefit

for Europe

The HydroBalance project has looked into the profitability and feasibility of using Norwegian hydropower to balance

wind and solar power in Europe. Production of solar and wind power depends heavily on weather conditions. Thus,

the increasing use of these energy sources leads to a rising need to store energy between periods with too much and

too little energy production to fit the demand.

In a study in HydroBalance, German researchers from Aachen

University have studied the economic feasibility of using

Norwegian hydropower to balance energy production and

demand in Europe – the use of the so-called Norwegian

“Green battery”

Benefit of using Norway as a green bat-

tery



Despite necessary investment costs, the study finds

that using Norway as a green battery is profitable for Europe

from a system point of view. As a basis for the study, a con-

siderable increase in generation capacity for Norwegian

hydropower, including pumped storage, and a correspond-

ing increase in transmission capacity from Norway, were

included.

“When adding the effects for producers and consumers in

all countries, benefits exceed costs of building new capac-

ity in both generation and transmission,” concludes SINTEF

researcher Ove Wolfgang, who leads a work package in

HydroBalance.

The profitability for Norwegian hydropower

producers



In the study, the German researchers cal-

culated power prices for all European countries, including

Norway. The Norwegian researchers use these results in their

modelling, and through a case study in the upper part of the

Otra River system, they looked at the profitability of investing

in Norwegian pumped hydro storage towards 2050.

“Based on historical prices such an investment is not profit-

able, but in a future scenario with an integrated European

power system it is profitable,” Wolfgang summarizes.

International contribution



The power companies

E.ON

and EDF are international industrial partners in HydroBalance,

contributing with in-kind, discussions and engagement.

Together with researchers from Aachen University and ECN

in Netherlands, they ensure a strong link and insight to con-

tinental Europe.

“We are cooperating with CEDREN to learn more about the

technological and economic feasibility of this in 2050, to

maybe have some business opportunities,” says Michaela

Harasta in

E.ON

Contacts:

ove.wolfgang@sintef.no michael.belsnes@sintef.no