HERI – Research Actions Database

Welcome to the HERI Research Actions Database. The database provides details of past and present research actions related to all aspects of hydropower. The database has been structured following the categorisation developed for the HYDROPOWER EUROPE research and innovation agenda, and Strategic Industry Roadmap.

The database contents have been collated from a variety of organisations working on research actions across all sectors of the hydropower industry. The information has been share freely and is available as open access. You can search the database or add details of new initiatives to the database via the buttons below.

A brief video introduction to HERI:

 

What, why and how we use data ➧

Don't see your research project listed?

Click Here

XFLEX HYDRO

Description

The ultimate objective of the XFLEX project is to increase hydropower potential in terms of plant efficiency, availability and provision of flexibility services to the Electric Power System (EPS). The high Renewable Energy Sources (RES) scenario of the decarbonisation process relies on a drastic change of the European Union EPS with a massive integration of non-dispatchable RES and disconnection of the so-called conventional units, as greenhouse gases emitters. These changes influence drastically the provision of the power grid balancing, and challenge the EPS operations and safety. It is of upmost importance to provide reliable solutions to support the EPS with more flexibility services. Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) already significantly supports EPS flexibility in terms of regulation capability, fast frequency control, fast start/stop, fast generating to pumping modes transition, high ramping rate, inertia emulation, fault ride through capacity, etc. XFLEX aims to demonstrate an innovative methodology for system integration of hydroelectric technology solutions, variable speed being a key component and a reference, to provide further enhanced flexibility services assessed by a crosscutting analysis of their impact on both the technology and the market aspects. Innovative solutions also target an optimize maintenance plan to decrease the outage time and increase the availability of the plant. Demonstrations are scheduled in the cases of run-of-river, storage and pumped storage HPPs and they cover cases of refurbished, uprated and especially existing HPP to be applied and scaled to any unit size. XFLEX draws the roadmap for the exploitation of its solutions to all the European HPP fleet. A strategic dissemination plan is set to promote the deployment of the demonstrated solutions to stakeholders, to the scientific community and the public and to further support the communication in workshops, conferences, scientific journals, newspapers and various social media.

Organisations

  • École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL - Coordinator
  • International Hydropower Association - Partner
  • EDF Hydro - EDF R&D - Partner
  • Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) - Partner

Funding

  • European funding

Specific Funding Sources:
N/A

Level of Action:

European

Applications

Large-hydro, Run-of-the-River, Pumped Storage

Areas of Research

Research and Innovation Agenda

  • Developing and optimising hydraulic design and control strategies for pump turbines and waterway system in existing PSH
  • Enhancing flexibility of run-of-river power plants and using existing run-of-river cascades for energy storage
  • Enhancing computer models to optimise the control system structures, including in run-of-river power plants

Strategic Industry Roadmap

Last Updated: 11/03/2024 15:07

Request Editing Rights

XFLEX

Call Number

H2020-LC-SC3-RES-17-2019

Project Number

857832

Start Date
2019
End Date
2024

Budget Range
€5,000,000 - €10,000,000

Project website

 

« Back
Funded by
the European Union