Webinar: hydropower’s role as a provider of flexibility and storage

Join the ESMAP Hydropower Webinar Series, launched in March 2025, to explore the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges in hydropower development.

As the transition towards sustainable energy accelerates, hydropower is increasingly recognized as a key energy source that enhances power system flexibility, reliability, and resilience. With the growing share of variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar, the need for dispatchable energy to balance power systems has never been greater.

In this second webinar, we will explore hydropower's role as a provider of flexibility and storage, from sub-seconds to inter-annual periods, in integrating wind and solar energy. High shares of variable renewable energy (VRE) can lead to instability and unreliability in power systems. Effectively managing surplus and deficit electricity from VRE sources is crucial for minimizing impacts on the power system, improving energy security, and preventing blackouts and increased economic costs.

Don’t miss this insightful discussion and be part of the conversation on shaping the future of hydropower in the energy transition.

The event will open with welcoming remarks from Bente Brunes, Senior Energy Specialist at ESMAP, World Bank, followed by presentations from Abhishek Somani, Senior Economist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Rebecca Ellis, Senior Energy Policy Manager at the International Hydropower Association (IHA).