Hydropower and Hydroelectric energy in general is the largest Renewable Energy Source, RES. It is by far the largest RES and it is the renewable energy source which was firstly exploited and used to produce useful work for mankind.
Hydrovision which will take place in July 23-26 2013 at Colorado USA is the world’s largest hydropower event. It is an event about hydroelectric power and all related industries and professions. It is all about hydroelectric power generation, the hydroelectric plants and dams. In addition one of the eight tracks of this prestigious event is about Ocean Energy and Tidal Power. This year’s world hydropower conference and exhibition is supported by six hydropower associations which are industry leaders and this gives a different status and prestige to this worldwide event.
There are many reasons one attends an event and especially Hydrovision which is both a conference and an exhibition. First of all, a conference is a platform where experts share their knowledge and expertise with the attendees. You will get a better understanding of current and future developments in the areas of hydropower and will be able to see under one roof the hydro-related products which will be exhibited by the participating companies. In addition attendees will be able to build alliances and network among professionals in the hydroelectric power field since this event is expected to attract thousands of professionals in the water energy field. The event includes seminars, workshops, and meetings and off course exhibition of related products.
In this conference there are 8 concurrent tracks related to hydropower and these are organized in such a manner so that they would be easy to followed and offer a wide range of education and updating on the important issues of hydropower and hydroelectricity. The 8 tracks are the following:
Asset Management: Managers will be educated and updated about profitable solutions to asset management and how they can arrive to such solutions
Civil works & Dam Safety: It is all about the safety issues related to dams. This track deals with the approaches and products available to owners, regulators and other stakeholders so that they would ensure the safety of these civil structures.
New Development: This track examines the new developments and the solutions offered in the hydro arena.
Ocean – Tidal –Stream Power: This is an emerging market and attendees of this track will get an update of the developments in these important and promising areas of renewable energy resources.
Operations & Maintenance: This track educates managers and other stakeholders about the innovations in Hydropower and how these can lead to cost cutting and increased performance.
Policies and Regulations: Policy makers and regulators share their expertise and knowledge on issues such as licensing agreements and how licencing can be processed quickly and efficiently.
Water Resources: Experts in this field share knowledge and insights about water resources, reservoir management and explain how the climate change affects the water resources.
Technical papers: The final track involves technical sessions from technical professionals in the hydropower field, where these professionals present innovation and best practices in areas of interest in hydropower. There will be 21 technical paper sessions each of which will feature different areas such as: energy storage, hydro development, dam safety and construction and many more related and important aspects of hydropower.
It should be noted that the all the tracks will involve more than 70 different sessions with about 450 speakers, experts in the area of hydropower.
It is anticipated that there will be about 300 exhibitors in these year’s Hydrovision and more than 3000 visitors will pass from the grounds of the exhibition. This event will give the chance to exhibitors to present their products to a group of influential and opinion making professionals.
There will be several co-located activities such as seminars and workshops related to Hydropower and which are geared to increase the experience and exposure of the attendees to Hydropower. In addition there are planned tours to several hydro plants in the area of Colorado giving the appropriate exposure to attendees.
As we stated in the introduction, hydroelectric power is the largest Renewable Energy Source and due to its magnitude it plays a significant role in the economies and the economics of many countries. Hydroelectricity is available in many countries and in some areas is the major source of electricity.