Europe's (small) hydropower as a future-oriented driver of the Energy Turnaround

On March 3rd and 4th, more than 60 exhibitors from eight nations came together in the Messezentrum Salzburg for the hydropowe trade fair & congress and represented the potential and entrepreneurship that lies in this alternative energy production. "The RENEXPO INTERHYDRO was the first trade fair in Austria to kick off the 2022 event year. Current events are increasingly emphasizing the importance of an independent energy supply. The explosiveness of the topic is sure to provide new impetus within the industry as well as politically in order to use existing potential even more efficiently. We are pleased that with the RENEXPO INTERHYDRO we are creating a suitable platform that brings together the various interest groups and that we can thus do our part for a path towards a future as climate-neutral as possible for Europe." summarizes Managing Director DI (FH) Alexander Kribus, MBA .

Political presence at the opening

At the opening of the hydropower trade fair & congress, state councilor Dipl.-Ing. dr Joseph Schwaiger, Dr. Andreas Lenz, Member of the German Bundestag and on the Committee for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the Austrian Federal Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler, BA, who, due to being unable to attend at short notice, sent a video message to the trade fair visitors and exhibitors turned: "Hydropower has already made an invaluable contribution in the past, so that we can currently cover a large part of our electricity requirements with clean hydropower. Hydropower will continue to be a key success factor for renewable power generation and its expansion in the future. […] I am pleased that RENEXPO INTERHYDRO offers an important discussion forum for the contribution of hydropower to a future worth living in.” Provincial Council Dipl.-Ing. dr Josef Schwaiger emphasizes: “We have set ourselves the goal of generating the entire electricity requirement in the state of Salzburg ourselves by 2030. Existing small power plants make an important contribution. When adapting existing power plants, considerable improvements in efficiency are constantly being achieved. Particular attention must also be paid to the aquatic ecology. A win-win situation for energy, climate and ecology”. Dr. Andreas Lenz from the German Bundestag underlines, among other things, the security of supply and availability of hydropower.

The complete world of hydropower

The participating companies presented their know-how in a total of ten different exhibition areas from water catchment and water protection to various types of power plants and were satisfied with this year's edition of the trade fair after a two-year break: "The RENEXPO INTERHYDRO is of great importance to us because here very targeted audience is on site. Although we made fewer contacts this year, there were more top-class ones.”, summarizes the Managing Director of DIVE Turbinen GmbH & Co. KG, Ing (FH) Martina Römmelt-Fella, her twelfth participation in the trade fair.

In addition to the classic trade fair with a wide variety of lectures and discussions in the field of hydropower, two accompanying congresses on the topics of "Hydropower & Sediments" and "Hydropower and Storage" were held at the same time. A total of around 40 speakers passed on their expertise on the stage and at the congress and were available for first-hand specialist knowledge.

The density of specialist knowledge that prevails on these two days of the trade fair in Salzburg is unique in Europe. Coupled with the number of industry experts, there is every indication that hydropower plays a significant role within the energy sector and that, in combination with other renewable forms of energy, the future is seen in it.