Hydropower Flexibility: Theory, Optimization, and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid growth of variable renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, has increased the demand for flexibility in modern power systems. Hydropower, particularly reservoir-based and pumped storage facilities, offers fast response, multi-time-scale regulation, and large-scale energy storage, making it a key resource for supporting renewable energy integration and system reliability.

This Topic aims to collect high-quality original research articles and review papers that address recent advances in the theory, modeling, optimization, and practical application of hydropower flexibility. Contributions that improve the understanding of hydropower’s role in sustainable, low-carbon, and high-renewable energy systems are especially encouraged.

Topics of Interest Include (but Not Limited to):

• Concepts, metrics, and theoretical foundations of hydropower flexibility;
• Hydropower scheduling and multi-time-scale optimization;
• Data-driven optimization methods;
• Coordination of hydropower with wind, solar, and energy storage;
• Pumped storage hydropower operation and market participation;
• Economic valuation and environmental impacts of flexible hydropower operation;
• Real-world applications, case studies, and policy implications.

Prof. Dr. Zhengwei Wang
Dr. Xingxing Huang
Topic Editors