Leading energy influencers from around the world have come together to express support for a new collaborative campaign, highlighting the benefits of sustainable hydropower in the clean energy transition.

Under the slogan ‘We can, with hydropower’,  former heads of government, sector leaders, entrepreneurs and sustainability champions have already lent their voice to the campaign.

The initiative follows commitments made at COP26, the United Nations Climate Conference, to “phase down” coal as the world looks to reach net zero targets by 2050.

“If we are going to stop being dependent on coal, we need more focus on strategies that will make this a reality. Investments in wind and solar are crucial, but they will not be enough. With hydropower we can ensure that the renewable energy systems of the future are secure, reliable and affordable" – Erik Solheim, former Norwegian Environment Minister.

Sustainable hydropower has an important role in keeping future energy grids stable and reliable as the world’s energy system decarbonises.

Despite the International Energy Agency(IEA) calling for a near doubling of hydropower capacity by mid-century in its landmark ‘NetZero by 2050’ report, the need for investment in hydropower is not consistently reflected in energy policies around the world.

The ‘We can, with hydropower’ campaign looks to bring the sector together to ensure that sustainable hydropower can play its full role in future grids.

Get involved in the campaign.

Statements of support:

“Hydropower has a crucial role to play in zero carbon electricity systems in particular providing a flexible power source to balance intermittent wind and solar supply”- Lord Adair Turner, Chair, Energy Transitions Commission

“Hydropower, as the leading source of clean energy with the largest deployment scale, plays a pivotal role in advancing the world energy transition and achieving climate goals” – Wu Xuan, Secretary General, Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO)

“At COP26 we saw positive progress with further commitments to shift away from fossil fuels. But it is meaningless unless we take action now and invest in clean energy. Sustainable hydropower will play a key role in bringing more renewables onto the grid as we move away from coal” – Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

“We are at risk of stalling on the progress made at COP26. It will not be possible to deliver on our climate goals unless we start talking seriously about hydropower’s role in strengthening renewable energy systems” – Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia

“Even with our strongest efforts to raise efficiency and reduce consumption, the world, and particularly its poorer half, still needs much more energy. For solar, wind and other low-carbon sources to meet this growing demand, sustainable hydropower’s reliability is an absolutely critical enabler” – Dr Ashok Khosla, Chair, Hydropower Sustainability Council

“It is not hydropower that needs to be woken up, it is us humans. Many people are unaware of how important hydropower is to achieving our net zero by 2050 goals. Without the synergy of hydropower, we will not have wind or solar energy at our disposal” – Betrand Piccard, explorer, environmentalist and founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation

“The development of hydropower needs to more than double if we want to meet the Paris Agreement objectives, with enhanced security of supply as a co-benefit” -Benoît Revaz, State Secretary, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy

“If we are going to stop being dependent on coal, we need more focus on strategies that will make this a reality. Investments in wind and solar are crucial, but they will not be enough. With hydropower we can ensure that the renewable energy systems of the future are secure, reliable and affordable" – Erik Solheim, former Norwegian Environment Minister.

“Thanks to hydropower, Canada’s electricity grid is already one of the cleanest in the world. This abundant, affordable, and renewable energy resource can assure reliability and resilience as Canada strives towards a net-zero power supply by 2035” – Patrick Bateman, Interim President, WaterPower Canada

“Now is the time for policymakers everywhere to make the argument for hydropower, alongside wind and solar power. Climate change and security of energy supply require decisions today, not tomorrow.” – Pascal Radue, CEO, GE Hydro Solutions

"As a flexible and grid-stabilising energy source, hydropower’s full-load hours and storage capabilities are making the integration of wind and solar power into the grid possible. In that way, urgently needed CO2 reductions are enabled globally" – Uwe Wehnhardt, CEO, Voith Hydro

“Achieving net zero will require integration between energy sources and storage, where hydropower plays a unique role of in supporting renewable energy expansion” – Dr. Jonathan Quebbeman, Director Water Resources, South Asia, RTI International

Find out more about the campaign.

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