Link to the programme (registration opens on 5 May): https://assises-energie.org/
AQUA! is delighted to have been selected to present a workshop on hidden micro-hydropower at the European Conference on Energy Transition, to be held in Strasbourg from 24 to 26 June 2025.
This is an opportunity to raise the issue of promoting water heritage with local authorities, at the heart of a cross-border region in the Rhine-Meuse basin.
Micro-hydroelectricity is currently little known in renewable energy development strategies on a very local scale. Yet we have known how to produce electricity from water power for over 100 years.
Several thousand hydraulic structures exist and could be equipped to ensure an ecological transition of the territories.
There are examples of this in several regions of France and Europe.
The European RENEWAT project supported by the Syndicat d’Energies de Haute-Vienne aims to reactivate old mills.
A panel of 6 energy community projects supported by the European Citizen Led Renovation scheme involve micro-hydroelectricity projects.
Ademe, particularly in Burgundy Franche-Comté, has been developing support tools for this sector for over 10 years. River associations in this region are piloting hydroelectric projects.
Aqua! has also developed a training course on hidden micro-hydro in partnership with the Cnam (Conservatoire des arts et métiers).
This workshop will present existing tools and lessons learnt, with a view to establishing this sector as a key part of the local energy mix.
As an added bonus, the European Parliament in Strasbourg is opening its doors to us on 26 June, a real opportunity for advocacy and networking on water issues, at a time when the European Commission is building its water resilience strategy.