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Consultation Expert Panel - Terms of Reference

Introduction

  1. The Consultation Expert Panel (CEP) is an expert group in the HYDROPOWER EUROPE project (HPE) reflecting the composition of the entire consultation body.
  2. The role of the CEP is to ensure that all relevant issues and comments are addressed equally by HPE by:
    1. reviewing and advising on the structure and content of the Research and Innovation Agenda (R&IA) and the Strategic Industry Roadmap (SIR), as these develop through the stakeholder consultation process
    2. analysing and prioritising the stakeholder consultation feedback and recommendations – for example, reviewing and prioritising the suggested research actions.

    Composition of the CEP

  3. The CEP will consist of about 25 representatives of the whole hydropower community with a wide range of technical, economic, environmental, legal and social knowledge.
  4. Formation of the CEP will be undertaken in two steps comprising:
    1. Self-nomination to become a member of the CEP, followed by
    2. selection of CEP members from the nomination list by the HPE core team members (so as to ensure representation of the whole hydropower community).
  5. Administration of the CEP shall be managed by VGB PowerTech e.V. (VGB) as part of the HPE core team.
  6. Members of the CEP shall hold office for the three-year lifetime of the HPE project ending by the end of 2021. Membership of the CEP shall be subject to annual review and confirmation by the HPE core team.
  7. Opportunities to join the CEP shall be advertised across the HPE consultation platform when appropriate to ensure a balance is achieved between continuity of membership and representation as described in point 3. Applications shall be reviewed and new members selected by the HPE core team.

     

    Meetings of the CEP

  8. The CEP shall meet on the dates given below (3 meetings in person, 2 online) and may, subject to the agreement of VGB, hold additional meetings or teleconference calls, as circumstances require.

     

    Table 1 CEP meetings.
    What When Where
    Initial CEP workshop June 5th, 2019 Essen, Germany
    Second CEP analysis workshop End of 2019 Brussels, Belgium
    Online CEP analysis Start of 2020 Online
    Third CEP analysis workshop End of 2020 Brussels, Belgium
    Final online CEP analysis Start of 2021 Online

     

    CEP objectives and responsibilities

  9. The CEP shall
    1. Review and confirm the methodology for the research categorisation and prioritisation process
    2. Categorise and prioritise topics for the Research and Innovation Agenda (R&IA) and the Strategic Industry Roadmap (SIR) from the perspective of practical implementation, added value for the hydropower community and the significance of implementation.
    3. use information from the projects stakeholder consultation and feed recommendations to the HPE editing team.

    Cost Reimbursement

  10. Members of the CEP cannot be paid for their time but a contribution towards their travel costs for attending the specific CEP meetings will be available. The exact contribution will depend upon the final structure of the CEP and the meeting locations, but will probably be in the region of up to €300 per meeting.

     

    Terminology

  11. The term “HPE” refers to the HYDROPOWER EUROPE project.
  12. The term “HPE core team” refers to the 8 members of the consortium mentioned in the EU H2020 GRANT AGREEMENT NUMBER 826010 — HYDROPOWER-EUROPE.
  13. The term “VGB” refers to VGB PowerTech e.V.
  14. The Research and Innovation Agenda (R&IA) is defined as followed:

    The goal of the R&IA is to provide recommendations on the R&I priorities for hydro to the EU institutions and national authorities, in order to contribute shaping public spending for R&I. The document will also provide a useful reference to the entire hydropower community.

    Starting from the current status of hydro technologies, the R&IA will identify the main challenges for further hydro development and the related R&I gaps. As a result, R&I needs for hydro are listed and clarified, specifying the type of challenge, expected results, R&I activities needed, the relevant stakeholders, and indicative timeframe and an assessment of the needed funding (in terms of type and amount).

    The R&IA is not limited only to technological issues, such as equipment and infrastructure improvement and extension or advanced operation managing systems. It will include also environmental, social and economic issues in view of sustainable development, in order to understand how community and wider public reacts to hydro projects and how social acceptance can be enhanced. However, the R&IA will look at these issues exclusively through a research and development perspective.

    R&I need will also be prioritised according to criteria to be defined with the support of the Consultation Expert Panel (e.g. consistency with EU policy objectives, maturity of the technology, expected benefits, etc.).

  15. The Strategic Industry Roadmap (SIR) is defined as followed:

    The goal of the SIR is to understand why communities, i.e. stakeholder, accept/reject hydropower projects, to promote the best and innovative practices in hydropower development and formulate recommendations (both to public authorities and private stakeholders) on how hydropower can contribute to the successful energy system transition, preserve the environment and increase societal resilience.

    The SIR will discuss non-technical barriers to hydro deployment, the main focus being on social acceptance, mitigation of the environmental impact and ensuring finance for hydropower (including pumped storage). Other issues fostering hydropower deployment will be consider, such as innovative business model, standardisation and regulatory issues.