Flexibility Solutions and Innovations for Sustainable Hydropower
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2026 | Viewed by 85
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Digital Industry Technologies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 34400 Psahna, Greece
Interests: power systems; transmission and distribution networks; renewable energy; high voltages; electrical insulation systems; HVDC systems; grounding systems; energy storage systems; microgrids; system flexibility; resilience
Interests: transient stability analysis; dynamic behavior of power systems; control systems; modern energy infrastructures; distributed energy resources; smart grids; system reliability; flexibility; resilience
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The clean energy transition is driving the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources, with solar and wind reshaping power system operations and creating an unprecedented demand for flexibility. Hydropower, as the largest dispatchable renewable source, plays a central role in providing grid stability and ancillary services, while also supporting multifunctional benefits such as water supply, irrigation, drought mitigation, and flood control. However, increasing variability, off-design operations, and emerging climatic risks pose operational and maintenance challenges, highlighting the need for innovative strategies and digital solutions to unlock its full sustainability and flexibility potential. This Special Issue will explore digital solutions, innovative technologies, and operational strategies that can unlock the sustainability and flexibility potential of hydropower.
We invite contributions that address technical, economic, environmental, and social dimensions of this transition, including topics such as the following:
- Digitalization for predictive maintenance, efficiency improvement, and safer operation;
- Hybridization of hydropower with other renewable energy sources;
- Enhancing flexibility and ancillary services provision;
- Environmental and social aspects of hydropower operation under changing climatic conditions;
- Policy and market frameworks for sustainable and flexible hydropower.
By bringing together diverse perspectives, the Special Issue aims to highlight how hydropower can continue to play a pivotal role in the renewable energy future, while ensuring resilience, sustainability, and alignment with the broader goals of the green and digital transitions.
Dr. Vassiliki T. Kontargyri
Prof. Dr. Theodoros I. Maris
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- flexible operation of hydropower plants
- control strategies in hydropower systems
- optimization techniques for hydropower flexibility
- hydraulic and turbine dynamics
- pumped hydro energy storage systems
- techno-economic assessment
- digital twin in hydropower
- dynamic operation modeling
- data management algorithms
- hydropower technologies
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