Decarbonizing hydropower with industrial coatings and repair composites

Protective coatings and repair composites play an important part in implementing and raising the sustainability standards within hydropower facilities

- Chloe Hirst

Considering the imminent exponential growth of the hydropower industry, it is essential that an arsenal of strategies is implemented in order to raise the sustainability standards within hydropower facilities driving the industry towards a net zero future.

Of these strategies, protective coatings and repair composites have an important part to play. By intrinsically improving the integrity of key hydropower assets, these products help to accelerate the drive towards more sustainable hydropower facilities and, therefore, the decarburization of the sector.

The carbon footprint of hydropower

While the environmental benefits of hydropower far outweigh fossil fuel alternatives, like most alternative energy sources, hydropower is not without its carbon footprint. Indeed, all energy sources, even renewables, produce carbon emissions in their lifecycle, due to the emissions caused by their manufacture, construction and operation.

While there are some hydropower facilities, such as Iceland's Landsvirkjun, which have pledged to become carbon neutral, on average, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC) states that hydropower has a median greenhouse gas GHG) emission intensity of 24 gCO,-eq/kWh. This is the grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated allocated over its life-cycle. By comparison, the median figure for coal is 820 gCO,-eq/kWh.

Hydropower capacity needs to double by 2050

The need to mitigate this carbon footprint somewhat ratchets up when considering the huge role hydropower is set to play in supporting a net zero emissions by 2050 pathway in line with The Paris Agreement).