On 29 July 2025, STOR-HY held its first workshop, titled “Identification of New Hydropower Requirements in a Context of Climate Change and RES-Powered Systems”. This online event brought together experts from across Europe to discuss how hydropower, particularly PSH, can evolve to meet the demands of a clean, renewable energy-driven future.
The workshop presented the development of the STOR-HY matrix, a multidimensional tool based on the XFLEX HYDRO framework. The matrix has three dimensions:
- Techno-Economic-Regulatory (TER) dimension: Fernando Ribeiro and Sofia Varotto from INESC TEC discussed how this dimension explores the capability of demonstrators to provide flexibility and grid services within the current European regulatory and market framework for ancillary services.
- Environmental and economic dimension: So Pyay from the University of Twente covered the environmental and long-term economic impact of PSH plants throughout their entire lifetime, including commissioning, operation, and decommissioning.
- Societal acceptance: Jason Deegan from the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE) presented on how this dimension evaluates the level of local community and stakeholder approval or opposition towards the plants and proposed technological solutions.
As grids become more complex and reliant on intermittent renewable energy sources, long-duration storage and flexible assets like PSH will be essential. The STOR-HY project is working to ensure that these technologies are ready to meet tomorrow’s demands—technically robust, environmentally responsible, and socially accepted.
This workshop forms part of STOR-HY’s mission to ensure that pumped storage hydropower remains at the heart of a resilient, sustainable, and flexible European energy system.
Did you miss the event? Watch the full recording on YouTube.
We would like to thank all the speakers and attendees who contributed to this engaging session, and we look forward to continued collaboration in shaping the next generation of pumped storage hydropower, ensuring that it aligns with Europe’s climate goals, regulatory frameworks, environmental stewardship, and societal expectations.
