Prospects electricity from water

STOWA, the Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) and the Ministry for Infrastructure and Water Management are keen to optimally use the technical possibilities of the water system and the new role of the water managers. In recent years, various initiatives have been developed to generate electricity from water. A lot of the technology involved has an innovative character and has not yet been widely used in the Netherlands.

The Prospects of electricity from water report gives an improved and updated assessment of the realistic potential of electricity from water. The report provides insight into that potential and shows water managers how to work towards achieving it.

In this project, Witteveen+Bos worked together with CE Delft. CE Delft focused on the cost price development of technology. Witteveen+Bos looked at the technology, such as the technique and its feasibility, and made the potential assessment. The technologies involved are waterpower, tidal energy, wave energy, energy derived from different salinity levels between fresh and salt water and floating solar panels.

Because many of the technologies are not yet widely applied, not much information is available about the cost price development and the economic potential of the technology. This makes the assessment difficult. Potential assessments were based on current data. These are explained in the report, along with the assumptions used. These can easily be adapted when new insights are obtained.

More information?

Raphaƫl van der Velde

PMC manager Energy Systems