{"id":84893,"date":"2020-08-18T13:24:37","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T10:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ekoenergy.org\/lets-talk-about-hydropower\/"},"modified":"2022-02-09T15:18:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T13:18:20","slug":"lets-talk-about-hydropower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ekoenergy.org\/de\/lets-talk-about-hydropower\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s talk about hydropower"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the reasons why we have launched the EKOenergy ecolabel is to help consumers identify and choose the most environmentally friendly renewable energy products available. As a nature conservation NGO, our priority regarding renewable energy is, of course, its sustainability and impact on biodiversity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EKOenergy financed and joined the rowing event to demonstrate against building a new dam on the only free-flowing stretch of Kemijoki in 2018.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hydropower unfortunately still makes up the majority of renewable energy production in many parts of the world, despite the huge and growing potential of solar and wind energy. This includes northern Europe, where the EKOenergy ecolabel started its journey in 2013. We are aware that many existing hydropower installations are not sustainable and their operations can be improved until they\u2019re no longer needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever we communicate about EKOenergy-labelled hydropower, we get questions such as:
\u201cDo you work with small hydropower<\/strong>?\u201d
\u201cDo you approve of large hydropower<\/strong>?\u201d
\u201cBut this hydropower plant doesn\u2019t fit the age requirement<\/strong> for LEED green building rating system, why does EKOenergy approve it?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll answer these and other questions we often get regarding EKOenergy-labelled hydropower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wildlife shouldn\u2019t pay for our renewable energy targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why is the sustainability of the hydropower sector important? The answer is clear: Migratory freshwater fish are among the most threatened animals on the planet.<\/strong> A study<\/a> found that around the world, migratory freshwater fish numbers are dropping faster than migratory species both on land and in the ocean. <\/strong>Hydropower dams, blocking fish migration and hence preventing their access to spawning grounds, are one of the causes. Habitat loss due to redirecting river branches for hydropower generation also has a negative impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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According to the Living Planet Index for Migratory Freshwater Fish<\/a> by the World Fish Migration Foundation, Europe has experienced the greatest decline in migratory freshwater fish populations in the past 50 years, seeing a staggering 93% decline<\/strong>, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with an 84% reduction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EKOenergy advocates for practical solutions to take the renewables industry to a more sustainable place, and aims at making energy consumers more aware of the impact of renewable energy generation on the environment. Making up more than 50% of the global renewable electricity generation capacity<\/a>, hydropower remains the primary renewable electricity technology<\/a> and thus demanding sustainable practices from the hydropower sector makes a big difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decision-makers and investors have taken decades to show climate ambition, yet consumers have the power to shape the energy sector by taking instant action. By allowing EKOenergy consumers to use our logo in their communication, we wish to encourage all positive steps in the right direction. So how is EKOenergy-labelled hydropower different?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. EKOenergy doesn\u2019t approve new hydropower installations and requires sustainability measures on existing ones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

EKOenergy-labelled hydropower fulfils extra sustainability criteria<\/strong>, to make sure additional steps are taken to protect biodiversity. What is familiar to many is that standards and ecolabels require \u201cnew\u201d installations, while it is exactly the new hydropower dams that harm the local ecosystems. EKOenergy doesn\u2019t approve building new dams<\/strong> and EKOenergy\u2019s approval of a hydropower installation needs to be renewed every 5 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since a majority of renewable energy generation comes from hydropower sources, EKOenergy makes it easier for energy consumers to go for more sustainable hydropower than those which possibly harm the local biodiversity. You can read more about EKOenergy\u2019s sustainability criteria for hydropower<\/a> here. To sum up, it\u2019s not about the size of the installation, but about the environmental impact<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EKOenergy\u2019s sustainability criteria for hydropower include the following elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n