Innovations in Hydropower and Energy Storage: Bridging Renewable Energy Solutions
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 575
Special Issue Editors
Interests: fluid machinery; renewable energy; computational fluid dynamics and vortex methods
Interests: hydraulic machinery cavitation; pelton turbine multiphase flow; unsteady jet–bucket interactions; cavitation erosion mechanisms
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The stability and flexibility of modern power grids are increasingly reliant on intermittent renewable sources and critically depend on dispatchable and responsive generation. Hydropower, with its proven capability for large-scale energy storage and rapid load-following, stands as an indispensable pillar in this energy transition. Its future evolution hinges on technological innovations that enhance efficiency, flexibility, and environmental compatibility. At the heart of these advances lie breakthroughs in hydraulic and fluid machinery—the core components that convert water's kinetic and potential energy into electricity.
This Special Issue focuses specifically on the frontier of hydropower technology and its associated fluid machinery, exploring how these innovations integrate with and are augmented by energy storage solutions. We aim to highlight cutting-edge research that redefines the performance, application, and sustainability of water-based energy systems, from traditional hydropower plants to novel marine and hydrokinetic concepts.
Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:
Core Innovations in Hydraulics and Fluid Machinery:
- Advanced design, optimization, and numerical simulation of hydraulic turbines (Francis, Pelton, Kaplan, and pump-turbines) for enhanced efficiency, flexibility, and operational range.
- Development of novel turbines for low-head, in-stream, tidal, and wave energy applications.
- Innovations in pump and pump-turbine technology for next-generation pumped storage hydropower (PSH).
- Digital twins, advanced condition monitoring, and AI-driven predictive maintenance strategies for hydropower fleets.
System Integration and Hybridization:
- Techno-economic design and operational strategies for hybrid plants (e.g., hydropower/PSH coupled with solar PV, wind, or battery storage).
- Advanced control and grid-forming strategies for integrated hydropower-storage systems to provide essential grid services.
- Retrofitting, modernization, and powering of non-powered dams with advanced fluid machinery.
- Modeling and analysis of hydro-mechanical and electro-mechanical transients in complex systems.
Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility:
- Hydraulic design and operational planning for minimizing environmental impacts.
- Lifecycle assessment and sustainability analysis of innovative hydropower and PSH projects.
We invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address these pivotal themes. Your contributions will help shape the future of intelligent, efficient, and environmentally responsible hydropower engineering.
Dr. Baoshan Zhu
Dr. Haoru Zhao
Dr. Yonglin Qin
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- hydropower technology
- pumped storage hydropower (PSH)
- fluid machinery
- hybrid renewable systems
- grid flexibility
- hydraulic system design
- condition monitoring
- environmental sustainability
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