Hydropower counts for approximately 19% of the worlds power production, and in Norway it stands for around 99% of the electric power production. Norway is a considerable produser of hydropower, also in an international context. The Norwegian production is the greatest in Europe, with its yearly sum of about 120 TWh. Next comes Sweden and France, each with around 65 TWh per year. Approximately 86% of the electricity generation from renewables in the world today, comes from hydropower. The Norwegian expertice on hydropower and its different competence fields, is internationally very strong. This competence, which is common for all types of hydro power plants, touches fields as hydrology, environment, construction and civil engineering, machines as well as power electronics.
Hydropower is important to Norway, and the ongoing activities concerns mostly the renewal and upgrading of existing plants, as well as the construction of small-scale hydropower (less than 10MW). Additionally comes the daily maintainance, operation and licensing. In the future hydropower will become increasingly important to balance the power production from a regime which consists of an increasing production from renewable energy sources that are not regulable (wind, solar, etc.). Internationally there is a huge potential for new construction of hydropower plants. It is estimated that only 25-30% of all economically feasible installations are exploited so far. With an increased importance given to climate issues related to energy production, hydropower will be part of the solution, as hydropower do not contribute much to emission of greenhouse gases.
NTNU and SINTEF have research activities that cover most of the aspects connected to hydropower. The hydropower laboratory works with control of turbines, development of new designs and extention of the life time of turbines exposed to sand erosion. The Department of Geology and Mineral Resources Engineering have expertise on planning and operation of tunnels. At the Hydraulic Laboratory research within river engineering, intake and transport of water as well as dam security is carried out. SINTEF Energy Research and the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering develop methods for forcasting inflow as well as the planning and operation of power plants. Together with several national and international partners within water ecology, SINTEF and NTNU holds strong competence within the assessment of environmental impact from hydropower plants. Joining forces with the Norwegian research institution NINA, NTNU and SINTEF have been awarded a research centre called "Centre for Environmental Design of Renewable Energy". The centre is financed through the Norwegian Research Council, and will over its 8-year life span become an important arena for research within environmental impacts and how the hydropower system of Norway should be designed in the future.
The Hydropower Laboratory at NTNU
The Hydraulic Laboratory
Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering - NTNU
Department of Geology and Mineral Resources Engineering - NTNU
CEDREN - Centre for Environmental Design of Renewable Energy
Professor Torbjørn Nielsen, 73 59 35 72 (NTNU)
Professor Ånund Killingtveit, 73 59 47 74 (NTNU)
Professor Ole Gunnar Dahlhaug, 91 89 76 09 (NTNU)
Senior Researcher Eivind Solvang, 73 59 78 31 (SINTEF Energy Research)
Senior Researcher Atle Harby, 73597125 (SINTEF Energy Research)
