Hydropower

Hydropower is a classic among the renewable energies. For over a hundred years, RWE has been reliably producing electricity with this technique, providing a substantial contribution to the energy supply of the German market – economically and CO₂-free. In addition, hydropower is one of the few technologies in the area of renewable power that is capable of operating in base load. In both the point of view of climate protection (no CO₂ emissions) as well as the security of supply aspect (domestic energy sources with predictable availability), this technology has great advantages.

From the power of rivers

The water cycle – which is essentially driven by solar radiation – is utilised by run-of-river and storage power stations. The available water is passed through a turbine and the mechanical energy is extracted. Using the rotation of a shaft, a generator is driven, creating electricity. Energy outputs resulting from the potential or kinetic energy of the water are utilised. The opportunities for the application of hydropower are highly dependent on geographical conditions.

In harmony with nature

Effects on the environment cannot be avoided when constructing and operating hydropower plants. But our top priority is keeping these effects as small as possible. Therefore, even before we start building our plants, we ensure we provide shallow-water areas that allow fish to spawn and corresponding water bypasses and facilities that help fish swim upriver. We also participate in research projects and investigations in order to continuously improve the protection of the water habitat.