Association to develop European hydropower database

With backing from the European Union (EU), the European Small Hydropower Association (ESHA) is to develop a database of European hydropower as well as recommendations on future hydro development.

The Streammap project is to run three years from its launch June 4, 2009, in a meeting at the Renewable Energy House in Brussels. ESHA said the program is partially funded by the EU under the Intelligent Energy Europe Program conducted by the European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation.

ESHA is to coordinate and set up a central database called HYDI, including complete information on the hydropower sector for each of the 27 EU member states. Information is to range from basic data on the number of plants to investment and economic variables. It also is to cover policy and legislative frameworks.

The association said the second purpose of the program is to define a “road map” for the small hydropower sector, including recommendations on future development to be delivered to national and local policymakers in view of plans to increase use of renewable energy.

ESHA is to coordinate Streammap with a consortium of France-Hydro-Electricite, British Hydropower Association, Lithuanian Hydropower Association, Italian Association of Renewable Energy, Slovenian Small Hydropower Association, Swedish Renewable Energy Association, Romanian Institute for Hydro and Design, Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, Polish Hydropower Association, and Belgium Renewable Energy Federation.