For the past months, our partners working on the “Market Uptake” section of our project have conceptualized and conducted a survey amongst hydropower professionals. Aim of the survey was to inquire about modernization projects in European hydropower companies to learn what the hydropower sector is focusing on- and what they may want support and guidance for.
The survey was rolled out in three phases: Phase one focused on internal surveying among the ReHydro project partners, phase two gathered data from a number of select hydropower operators, phase three opened the survey up to the public and any relevant hydropower plant personnel that would help us close any remaining gaps in knowledge.
All three phases have been completed within the first quarter of 2025. On April 11th, a workshop was held with the survey’s participants to discuss and finalize conclusions. Viewing the results within specific contexts was also made possible through the direct dialogue with participants.
Overall, we consider the survey a success. We were able to reach 47% of the European hydropower fleet and gathered information from 34 individual companies, which gives us a solid database to align our research focus with the hydropower sector’s needs. Our next step will bring the gathered data about which modernization projects are being worked on, what challenges operators are facing and where ReHydro can support them to the public.