Hydropower market intelligence
Conventional hydro, pumped storage, small hydro, and the baseload backbone of clean energy.
Hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable electricity, generating approximately 4,300 TWh annually — more than all other renewables combined. It provides reliable, dispatchable clean power that complements variable wind and solar generation. Crucially for the hydrogen economy, hydropower's low-cost baseload electricity makes it one of the most economic sources of green hydrogen production, particularly in regions like Scandinavia, Brazil, and Canada.
Pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) accounts for over 90% of global utility-scale energy storage capacity. As grids integrate higher shares of variable renewables, pumped hydro is experiencing renewed investment interest — with major projects under development in Australia (Snowy 2.0), Switzerland, Portugal, China, and India. New closed-loop designs and underground pumped storage concepts are expanding the range of viable sites beyond traditional mountain topographies.
The global hydropower fleet is aging, with significant portions of capacity in Europe and North America approaching or exceeding 50 years of operation. Modernization and refurbishment of existing plants — upgrading turbines, generators, and control systems — represents a large and growing market segment that can increase output by 5–15% without new environmental impact. New large-scale dam construction continues primarily in Asia (China, Laos, Indonesia), Africa (Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo), and South America.
Delphidata tracks hydropower projects across conventional reservoir, run-of-river, and pumped storage configurations. Coverage includes turbine and generator manufacturers, dam engineering firms, modernization programs, and the connection between hydropower and hydrogen production in regions where low-cost hydro electricity enables competitive green hydrogen.
What Delphidata tracks.
Structured data across the full value chain.
Hydropower projects
New dam construction, run-of-river developments, and capacity expansion projects worldwide. Mapped with installed capacity (MW), dam type, turbine configuration (Francis, Pelton, Kaplan), head height, annual generation, developer, and construction timeline.
Pumped hydro storage
Pumped hydro energy storage projects — open-loop (connected to existing waterways) and closed-loop (purpose-built reservoirs). Tracking power rating, storage capacity (MWh), round-trip efficiency, development status, and the grid balancing role each facility serves.
Fleet modernization
Turbine and generator upgrades, dam safety improvements, digital monitoring systems, and control system modernization at existing hydropower plants. Tracking which facilities are approaching refurbishment cycles and the capacity gains achieved.
Equipment manufacturers
Turbine and generator OEMs (Voith Hydro, Andritz Hydro, GE Vernova Hydro, IMPSA, Dongfang Electric), dam engineering firms, and penstock and gate manufacturers. Connected to the projects each supplier serves.
Who uses this intelligence.
Utilities and power developers
Track hydropower project pipelines, evaluate pumped storage investment opportunities for grid balancing, monitor fleet modernization economics, and assess hydro as a competitive electricity source for hydrogen production.
Equipment manufacturers
Identify upcoming turbine and generator procurement opportunities, track competitor contract wins, monitor the modernization pipeline for the aging global fleet, and assess demand patterns across regions.
Hydrogen producers
Evaluate hydro-based green hydrogen production economics, identify locations where low-cost hydropower enables competitive electrolysis, and track hydropower-hydrogen integration projects.
Investors and infrastructure funds
Screen hydropower and pumped storage investment opportunities by resource quality, regulatory environment, and long-term power market dynamics. Assess the value of existing hydro assets under energy transition scenarios.