Hydro 2014
For next year’s annual world hydro conference, we have found an ideal meeting point in Europe, in one of the most beautiful parts of Italy, close to the Swiss border, and with easy access from all parts of the world. Cernobbio is a short distance from the international airport of Milan, which connects with numerous cities worldwide. Accommodation at a range of world-class hotels is being reserved for HYDRO 2014 delegates, with many rooms overlooking Lake Como. The pace of hydropower development worldwide is continuing to accelerate; recent progress has been substantial, and prospects are promising for the coming years. Hence, the sub-theme of HYDRO 2014, which will bring together planners, developers, owners, financiers, consultants and suppliers to discuss planned developments, the challenges ahead, and innovations in technology.
Policy makers are today taking a much more positive and balanced view of the role and benefits of hydropower. The IEA predicts a doubling of hydropower capacity and production by 2030, and current trends indicate that this is achievable. Vast major regional projects (such as Inga) are taking off in Africa, and large-scale schemes continue in Asia.
HYDRO 2014 will build on the tremendous progress which has been made in the planning and implementation of large and small hydro schemes, pumped-storage projects, and marine energy systems over the past few years.
These aims will be achieved through the presentation of papers carefully selected by the International Steering Committee, working closely with the H&D team, and by discussions among experts in a broad range of sessions, panel discussions and workshops.
The Hydropower & Dams team is delighted to be bringing the next major annual hydropower conference to a unique venue, beside Lake Como, in the northern Italian province of Lombardy. On the border with Switzerland, and located just 40 km (about 30 minutes by road) from the international airport of Milan, the Como/Cernobbio region will be easily accessible for delegates from all parts of the world. Celebrated since ancient times for its great natural location, Como is considered to be the most dramatic and picturesque of the three Italian great lakes. Shaped like an inverted ‘Y’, the lake has three branches, which meet at Punta Spartivento (the ‘Point that divides the Wind’). Of the lower two branches of the lake, the Ramo di Como (western Branch) is the most scenic, with the shores being studded with villas, gardens and small harbours and villages.
Cernobbio is a small commune in the province of Como, on the western side of the lake. It is famous for the grandiose villas built there between the 16th and 19th centuries, the best known of which is Villa d’Este, today one of the most luxurious hotels in the region.One of the region’s splendid villas, built in the 19th century, is Villa Erba, which has today been transformed, with the addition of a new wing, into a modern congress centre. This is where HYDRO 2014 will take place. Villa Erba has been owned in the past by the world-famous Italian film director, Luchino Visconti, and the villa and grounds have provided the setting for several films. Besides the traditional villa, where some small meetings and the speakers’ and chairmen’s reception will take place, the main Conference and Exhibition centre has a modern design, influenced by the antique greenhouses which were built alongside the lakeside villas.
Potential and development opportunities
• Regional policy in practice; implications for project development and operation
• Tools for planning
• Integrated regional development
• Cross-border power trading
Project financing
• Management and allocation of risk
• Innovations in project finance
• Co-financing of schemes
• Complexities of public-private partnerships
• Legal and institutional aspects
Commercial and economic aspects
• Economic analysis
• Legal and regulatory aspects; licensing hydro
• International contractual issues
• The CDM process: examples of accreditation
• Assessment of direct and ancillary hydro services
Planning
• Interpretation of the Water Framework Directive by EU members
• System planning
• New developments in software
• Powerplant planning
Communications and capacity building
• Improving communications/public relations
• Historical hydro: preserving cultural heritage
• Aesthetics of dams and hydro
• Inspiring the next generation of engineers
• Closing the knowledge gap
Concession arrangements
• International experiences
• Roles of the public and private sectors
• Alternative concession models
• Selecting concession partners
• Securing value for hydro resources
Environmental and social aspects
• Eduction in action; promoting hydro
• Cumulative impact assessment
• Learning from success stories
• Fish protection: innovative technology
• Stakeholder engagement
Hydrology
• Gate safety
• Adaptation to climate change
• Extreme flood mitigation and management
• Appropriate spillway design
Hydraulic machinery
• Research and innovation
• Equipment: research design and manufacture
• Environment-friendly design
• Operational issues
• Abrasion protection
Hydro in synergy with other renewables
• Business models for renewables without subsidies
• Integrated developments: hydro/solar/hydro/wind System management
• Optimizing reservoir operation
• Software developments
• Operation and maintenance
Small hydro development
• Assessing developing potential
• Latest innovative technologies
• Appropriate technology for rural electrification
Developments in marine energy
• Tidal and wave power potential
• Research, development and innovation
• Operating experience
• In-stream/ultra low head systems
The role and benefits of pumped storage
• Innovations in design, construction and rehabilitation
• New and competing storage technologies
• The role of pumped storage in power systems
• Regulations for and against pumped storage
Upgrading and refurbishment
• Economic aspects
• Upgrading of equipment and civil works
• Retrofitting hydro and pumped storage units
• Enhancing environmental aspects
Civil engineering
• Innovations in dam design
• Dams for multipurpose developments
• Construction materials
• Spillway design and operation
• Tunnels and underground works
• Assessing risk and designing for safety
Modelling
• Hydraulic modelling of dams and spillways
• Machine efficiency
• Reservoir optimization and operation
• Modelling for upgrade schemes
• CFD, and advances in data processing
Hydro project management
• On-site safety of the public and staff
• Site supervision
• Challenging site conditions
Sedimentation management
• Advanced planning to avoid sedimentation
• Design case studies
• Sediment measurement techniques
• Sediment removal options
Electrical engineering
• Grid management and stability
• Generator design
• Condition monitoring
• Smart grid technology