Hybrid Hydropower Could Unlock Europe’s Next Renewable Energy Boom

There is major potential to develop hybrid renewable energy projects on existing hydropower sites, according to a new report by the think tank Ember Energy. We often think of renewable energy projects as standalone operations rather than resources that can be combined to produce higher clean energy output. However, there could be great potential for hybrid projects, as energy companies look to maximise and stabilise their energy production.According to a report published this week by Ember, 25 GW of wind and solar can be added to existing hydropower plants across seven EU countries to achieve hybrid operations. The “hybridisation” of existing hydropower projects could help the countries assessed – Austria, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and Spain – integrate 18% of the new renewables anticipated by 2030 without using additional grid capacity, according to Ember.The report suggests that hybridisation could nearly double the use of existing grid connections, thereby reducing the need to spend on expansion projects. Meanwhile, the hydropower plants that Ember deems eligible for hybridisation currently achieve just 19 per cent of their maximum output on average. Integrating wind and solar resources has the potential to boost this utilisation to 36% and 31%, respectively.At present, of the seven EU countries Ember assessed, just Spain and Portugal have established rules for hybrid projects, meaning that regulatory guidelines do not exist elsewhere. Creating legislation on hybrid developments could help encourage and facilitate investment in the sector.In 2025, the International Energy Agency’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol, called hydropower ‘the forgotten giant of electricity’. This came four years after the agency published an article on hydropower, in which it noted the major potential for hydropower in several countries pursuing a green transition. Hydro is the third-largest power generation source worldwide, after coal and natural gas. In 2024, hydropower produced around 4,500 terawatt-hours of electricity, or 14 per cent of the global total, which is around the same as all the power generated worldwide by solar and wind combined.As well as developing more hydropower projects to make the most of the world’s water resources and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, investing in hybrid projects could help maximise renewable energy output at a site. In addition, using existing grid connections is particularly useful for countries with constrained transmission infrastructure. A lack of grid capacity is emerging as a critical bottleneck, according to the IEA. With the dramatic rise in renewable energy projects in recent years, several countries are struggling to accelerate the expansion and upgrade of grid infrastructure at the rate needed to connect new renewable energy capacity.Grid connection queues have reached record levels worldwide, with more than 2,500 GW of renewable, large load, and storage projects currently stalled due to the lack of transmission infrastructure. Several countries have attempted to streamline regulatory processes to fast-track licensing, but investment continues to lag far behind that for generation projects in many regions of the world.The IEA states, “Meeting electricity demand through 2030 will require annual grid investment to increase by approximately 50 per cent by 2030, from today’s $400 billion, alongside a scale?up in grid supply chains and more effective management of workforce challenges.” Ember points out that in Europe “a shortfall of at least 120 GW exists between available grid capacity and anticipated renewable growth by 2030.”The seven countries assessed by Ember plan to deploy a combined 138 GW of wind and solar power between 2026 and 2030, according to scenarios from grid operators. This is greater than a 50 per cent increase from their 235-GW wind and solar capacity in 2025, and it is expected to be added in just five years. Meanwhile, countries such as Austria and Bulgaria have no grid capacity for new generation, while that of Portugal and Romania is extremely limited.Some countries are already supporting hybridisation projects and could soon offer a blueprint for others to follow, helping to reduce the need for immediate grid expansion. The Tâmega wind farm in Portugal is being developed using a hybrid format with plans for it to be connected to the same substation as the Tâmega hydroelectric complex.Meanwhile, France’s Lazer floating solar project, which opened in 2023, uses floating solar technology to minimise additional land use. A total of 50,000 panels have been installed on the reservoir at the Lazer dam hydropower facility. The move has doubled the site’s renewable energy capacity.There are a wide range of challenges facing renewable energy developers across Europe, from a lack of grid capacity to connect new projects to objections from residents worried about the development of massive wind and solar projects in their back gardens. Ember recommends taking a “hybridisation” approach to benefit from existing transmission networks and reduce the need to find new sites for project development.By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comBrent Breaks $96 as U.S. Strikes Iran for 12th Consecutive NightIndia Keeps Buying Russian Oil at Near-Record Pace Despite Expired WaiverIran Says U.S. Struck Unfinished Nuclear Plant, Warns of Safety Risk