>Unfortunately I don't think there's huge scope for more hydro across Europe as it's very disruptive to build.
My doubt is not really about new hydro. I suspect it's mostly maxed out in most places. Both because of geography and policy reasons. It's more two things:
1) The hydro we have on the total grid is enough to balance how much wind+solar? There are countries with a lot more hydro resources than others (e.g., Norway has an even more hydro-based mix than Portugal) that could potentially allow a healthier grid mix with better interconnects. New interconnects have been announced but I haven't found a source for a total opportunity.
2) How much of the hydro we have can be converted to pumped hydro to use as a battery. If you see the spreadsheet Portugal pumps in reverse about 14% of the energy. Not all dams have the geography for it but even the ones that do may not have the requisite hardware for it. How much can this be expanded?
My doubt is not really about new hydro. I suspect it's mostly maxed out in most places. Both because of geography and policy reasons. It's more two things:
1) The hydro we have on the total grid is enough to balance how much wind+solar? There are countries with a lot more hydro resources than others (e.g., Norway has an even more hydro-based mix than Portugal) that could potentially allow a healthier grid mix with better interconnects. New interconnects have been announced but I haven't found a source for a total opportunity.
2) How much of the hydro we have can be converted to pumped hydro to use as a battery. If you see the spreadsheet Portugal pumps in reverse about 14% of the energy. Not all dams have the geography for it but even the ones that do may not have the requisite hardware for it. How much can this be expanded?