{
  "slug": "european-hydro-hybridisation-2026",
  "title": "Grid headroom without new grid: Europe's hydro hybridisation finding",
  "url": "https://solaranalytica.com/european-hydro-hybridisation-2026",
  "summary": "A July 2026 Ember analysis finds seven EU countries could connect about 25 gigawatts of new wind and solar without building any new grid, by co-locating it behind the connection points their existing hydropower plants already hold. That is roughly 18 per cent of the wind and solar those countries plan to add by 2030. The mechanism is not confined to Europe.",
  "license": "Free to use with attribution to Solar Analytica (solaranalytica.com). Underlying figures are named to their public sources below.",
  "csv": "https://solaranalytica.com/reports/european-hydro-hybridisation-2026/data.csv",
  "datePublished": "2026-07-25",
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-25",
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "pv-tech: Ember says EU hybridisation could unlock 25GW of solar PV and wind without new grids",
      "url": "https://www.pv-tech.org/ember-eu-hybridisation-could-unlock-25gw-solar-pv-and-wind-without-new-grids/"
    },
    {
      "title": "edie: Existing grid connections in Europe could unlock 25GW of new clean power",
      "url": "https://www.edie.net/report-existing-grid-connections-in-europe-could-unlock-25gw-of-new-clean-power/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Power Technology: EU hydropower sites could host 25GW of new renewables without grid upgrades, Ember says",
      "url": "https://www.power-technology.com/news/eu-hydropower-sites-could-host-25gw-of-new-renewables-without-grid-upgrades-ember-says/"
    },
    {
      "title": "EDP: Portugal's first onshore hydro and solar energy project brought into operation",
      "url": "https://edp.com/en/europe/portugal/media/news/edp-brings-operation-portugals-first-onshore-hydro-and-solar-energy"
    },
    {
      "title": "pv-tech: EDP commissions Portugal's first hydropower-solar hybrid project",
      "url": "https://www.pv-tech.org/edp-commissions-portugals-first-hydropower-solar-hybrid-project/"
    }
  ],
  "figures": [
    {
      "id": "hydro-capacity-factor-uplift",
      "title": "Hydropower capacity factor, alone and with co-located solar",
      "unit": "per cent capacity factor",
      "valueLabel": "Hydro alone",
      "valueBLabel": "With co-located solar",
      "caption": "Average capacity factor, hydro alone against hydro with co-located solar, per Ember (July 2026). Wind co-location gives a smaller lift, to 31 and 42 per cent, shown in the table below. Higher utilisation of the same connection is the mechanism behind the 25 GW.",
      "series": [
        {
          "label": "Reservoir and pumped hydro",
          "value": 19,
          "valueB": 36
        },
        {
          "label": "Run of river",
          "value": 29,
          "valueB": 47
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hybridisation-share-of-planned-build",
      "title": "Connectable behind existing hydro against the planned build",
      "unit": "GW",
      "caption": "Ember (July 2026). The 25 GW that could connect behind existing hydropower connections is about 18 per cent of the seven countries' planned 2026 to 2030 wind and solar build.",
      "series": [
        {
          "label": "Connectable behind existing hydro",
          "value": 25
        },
        {
          "label": "Planned wind and solar, 2026 to 2030",
          "value": 138
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}