Ioannis Kougias

• MEng MSc PhD
• Head of Regulatory Affairs & ESG Strategic Planning at Elpedison SA

The paper reviews recent research and development activities in the field of hydropower technology. It covers emerging and advanced technologies to mitigate flow instabilities (active and passive approach) as well as emerging magneto-rheological control techniques. Recent research findings on flow instabilities are also presented , especially conce...

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can make a significant contribution to Europe's energy transition. Realising this potential raises challenges at policy and electricity system planning level. To address this, the authors have developed a geospatially explicit methodology using up-to-date spatial information of the EU building stock to quanti...

The increasing ambition of climate targets creates a major role for hydrogen especially in achieving carbon-neutrality in sectors presently difficult to decarbonise. This work examines to what extent the currently carbon-intensive hydrogen production in Europe could be replaced by water electrolysis using electricity from renewable energy resources...

Africa is characterised by a very high solar potential, with a yearly sum of solar irradiation exceeding 2000kWh/m². Many African countries are heavily dependent on hydropower, however, increasingly frequent droughts have been severely affecting hydropower generation in the last few decades. The installation of floating photovoltaics (FPV) in exist...

Lack of access to modern forms of energy hampers efforts to reduce poverty. The provision of electricity to off-grid communities is therefore a long-standing developmental goal. Yet, many off-grid electrification projects neglect mid- and long-term operation and maintenance costs. When this is the case, electricity services are unlikely to be affor...

Self-sufficiency, climate change and increasing geopolitical risks have driven energy policies to make renewable energy sources dominant in the power production portfolios. The initial boom in the mid-2000s of global photovoltaic installations demonstrated the feasibility of the ambitious renewable energy targets. However, this rapid scale-up has i...

The optimization of dam operations to transform them into multi-objective facilities constitutes a challenge for both hydrology, hydrogeology, and hydropower generation. However, the use of the optimal algorithm for such transformation is critically important. Additionally, the literature has highlighted that dams might negatively influence the rec...

According to the WSHPDR 2022, the global installed SHP capacity for plants of ≤10 MW is estimated at approximately 79.0 GW and the total known potential for SHP ≤10 MW (including developed capacities) is estimated at 221.7 GW. Thus, despite the appeal and benefits of SHP solutions, much of the world’s SHP potential remains untapped (64 per cent). I...

Achieving carbon-neutrality is increasing the demand of renewable electricity which is raising the competition for land and associated acquisition costs. Installation of floating photovoltaic (FPV) on existing hydropower reservoirs offers one solution to limited land availability while providing solar electricity, leveraging water bodies, and reduc...

The exploitation of the small hydro potential of streams and springs in Greek mountains is the solution for distributed energy production in Greece, which can be directly connected to the grid network, offering stability and reliability throughout the year. Despite the country's knowledge and available hydro potential, the hydroelectric plants have...

Small irrigation reservoirs are created by constructing perpendicular to the flow of dams in small and medium-sized permanent flow streams. These reservoirs are mainly used for irrigation purposes as they contribute to the annual balancing of water demand on the downstream farm. Depending on the species, the diversity of the crops, the subsoil of t...

Africa’s economic and population growth prospects are likely to increase energy and water demands. This quantitative study shows that energy decarbonisation pathways reduce both water withdrawals and water consumption relative to the baseline scenario. However, the more aggressive decarbonisation pathway (1.5oC) leads to higher overall water withdr...

Achieving carbon-neutrality is increasing the demand of renewable electricity which is raising the competition for land and associated acquisition costs. Installation of floating photovoltaic (FPV) on existing hydropower reservoirs offers one solution to limited land availability while providing solar electricity, leveraging water bodies, and reduc...

About 50% of all hydropower plants (HPPs) worldwide were originally commissioned more than 40 years ago, so that the advanced age of the fleet is a major concern across all continents, and especially in Europe. The modernization of HPPs can generate several benefits in terms of generation, flexibility, safety, operation, and may have neutral or eve...

The need for energy in rural and remote areas is increasing, and it is exacerbated in developing countries. The wellbeing of communities and citizens depends on access to clean electricity to improve quality of life. An uninterrupted supply of electricity is one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) that has highlighted the needs and challeng...

55% emission reduction in 2030 compared to 1990) and the European Parliament proposal that followed soon after (− 60%), have changed the level of greenhouse gas reduction ambitions. Energy system modelling shows that achieving the updated targets will require large quantities of renewables deployed at an unprecedented pace. Over the past 10 years s...

Africa's economic and population growth prospects are likely to increase energy and water demands. This quantitative study shows that pathways towards decarbonization of the energy sector in Africa may lead to higher water withdrawals and consumption than expected. By 2065, investments in low-carbon energy infrastructure increase annual withdrawals...

The new European Commission plans to raise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target from 40% towards 55% by 2030 and make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Achieving this will require accelerated energy efficiency measures, deeper electrification of sectors currently consuming conventional fuels and the deployment of mo...

The first European Renewable Energy Directive had a time horizon from 2009 until 2020. The effects of this directive were the drafting of roadmaps describing how the Member States of the European Union planned to reach the irrespective renewable energy targets, while building confidence in investors to back the sector. Photovoltaic (PV) installatio...

Introducing sustainable ways to use energy and transport resources is of paramount importance for creating pathways to more liveable futures. Islands not interconnected to the main grid offer, because of their typically small size, short point-to-point travel distances that suit better than most landscapes the range limitations of today's electromo...

Executive summary The present report outlines the current market status and recent developments of the hydropower sector in the EU but also extends its scope at the global scale. Hydropower has provided clean electricity for more than a century and its importance for the power systems is shown by the fact that, globally, ’ 160 countries use hydrop...

Executive summary The present report collects the technological developments of hydropower. It is a deliverable of the Low Carbon Energy Observatory (LCEO) project, a European Commission (EC) project that assesses the technological progress of clean energy sources. It is a follow-up the previous (internal – EC only) LCEO assessment (Kougias, 2016a)...

This paper undertakes a comprehensive spatial mapping of the existing energy infrastructure in Kenya. With the perspective of the current energy status and local resources, the study develops a rural electrification spatial model for Kenya (RE_RU_KE tool) to identify optimal strategies for the different locations. The model considers the potential...

Energy projections for African countries based on GECO scenarios (reference, 2°C and 1.5°C) by 2065

The use of coal for electricity generation is the main emitter of Greenhous Gas Emissions worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, these emissions have to be reduced by more than 70% by 2040 to stay on track for the 1.5–2 °C scenario suggested by the Paris Agreement. To ensure a socially fair transition towards the phase-out of coal...

The first European Renewable Energy Directive had a time horizon from 2009 until 2020. The effects of this directive were the drafting of roadmaps describing how the Member States of the European Union, planned to reach their respective renewable energy targets and created a confidence in investors to invest in the sector. Photovoltaic installation...

Several Mediterranean islands are not connected to the main electricity grid yet meaning that independent local grids cater for their power requirements, mainly using imported fossil fuels whose resources scarcity, especially during the high-demand summer months, is a significant challenge. Seasonal variability in power demand, fuel price volatilit...

The remote and mountainous regions face permanent problems with their electric network, such as stability problems, sudden drops in voltage and power quality that affect people's daily life at home and their devices' performance. The reasons for the poor quality of electricity are due to the aged, remote local distribution network and the often har...

The islands of the Aegean Sea in Greece represent a unique example for the water and energy interrelation. A great number of them are not interconnected to the main power grid and independent local grids produce power mainly using imported fossil fuels (e.g. heavy oil, diesel). Equally important, water resources' scarcity is an additional challenge...

The cover image is based on the Overview Next generation interactive tool as a backbone for universal access to electricity by Magda Moner‐Girona et al., DOI: 10.1002/wene.305. © EU, by Grégoire Dubois. The cover image is based on the Overview Next generation interactive tool as a backbone for universal access to electricity by Magda Moner‐Girona e...

The present report outlines the findings of a scientific workshop organized by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in cooperation with two academic institutions of Senegal: the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar and the Université Assane Seck de Ziguinchor. The event took place in mid-November 2017 in Dakar and was titled “WEFE N...

Energy planning in rural areas and in developing countries most often relies on the outputs of specialized analytical tools, of which only a handful have been developed. Over the years these tools have been upgraded, and the newest among them take into consideration, to a greater or lesser extent, all key determinants of energy generation and distr...

Floods are among Earth's most common natural hazards, and they cause major economic losses and seriously affect peoples' lives and health. This paper addresses the development of a flood susceptibility assessment that uses intelligent techniques and GIS. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was coupled with a genetic algorithm and diffe...

Mitigating the big challenges of access to clean water, energy and poverty in Africa requires integrated solutions. The analysis of issues related to the water, energy, food and the ecosystem through a nexus approach, has attracted the interest of scientists, policy-makers and the private sector. The present Technical Report examines the potential...

Defining flood-prone areas is particularly important for policy makers, in order to design mitigation strategies and implement flood risk management planning. The present research applies a multicriteria index method to assess flood hazard areas at a river basin scale, in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. The developed methodology...

Energy access rates in sub-Saharan Africa are the lowest worldwide. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and provide modern electricity services, significant power capacities need to be installed. The proposed article presents an alternative approach, where existing water infrastructure is utilized to host renewable energ...

Pumped hydroelectric storage (PHS) is the main utility-scale storage technology. Although PHS systems generally constitute a fraction of generation, they receive increasing attention due to their potential balancing role towards higher penetration of variable renewable energy sources (RES). In the European context it is widely believed that PHS are...

A smarter transport system that caters for social, economic and environmental sustainability is arguably one of the most critical prerequisites for creating pathways to more livable urban futures. This paper aims to provide a state-of-the-art analysis of a selection of mobility initiatives that may dictate the future of urban transportation and mak...

People, planet, prosperity and peace are four priorities shared by Africa and Europe, and areas where opportunities for beneficial cooperation abound. Over the past three decades, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has worked with many organisations and institutions across Africa. This report and its accompanying interactive onli...

This report describes the current status and limitations of the power sector in Burkina Faso and develops a new methodology that through spatial analysis processes aims to provide a possible pathway for universal electricity access through a sustainable energy mix. Two percent of the rural population in Burkina Faso has access to electricity and su...

Local urban planning has become concerned over clean energy technologies development on greenfield land that may lead to competition in land use. Solar photovoltaic systems on agriculture land is an indicative example of this disputed strategy. At the same time closed landfills and their post-closure management pose environmental, economic and land...

Supplying power to remote areas may be a challenge, even for those communities already connected to the main grid. Power is often transmitted from long distances, under adverse weather conditions, and with aged equipment. As a rule, modernizing grid infrastructure in such areas to make it more resilient faces certain financial limitations. Local di...

The design goals of the developed software are described followed by its architecture, which is presented in detail. The GUI-based interface supports a variety of environmental management problems and can provide best practices in a timely manner. The toolkit is generic and applicable to any scientific field. It was applied on a renewable energy (R...

Pioneering approaches are needed to accelerate universal access to electricity while simultaneously transitioning to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy systems. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the challenges lie in attracting the private sector to complement public investments. Here, we present an integrated ‘low-hanging-fruit’ approach aimed...

This paper describes the status quo of the power sector in Burkina Faso, its limitations, and develops a new methodology that through spatial analysis processes with the aim to provide a possible pathway for universal electricity access. Following the SE4All initiative approach, it recommends the more extensive use of distributed renewable energy s...

Electricity production in Mediterranean islands currently depends heavily on imported fossil fuels. This strategy has several disadvantages and has been accused of hindering the islands' sustainable development. In the present research an integrated approach to increase solar photovoltaic (PV) systems' (SPVS) share in the energy mix of Mediterranea...

Key global energy, environmental and sustainability targets are closely related to the development of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). This includes reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions and safe energy provision in a sustainable manner. The integration of RES in the energy mix needs to overcome the technical challenges that are related to grid's op...

Recognizing the issues of land shortage and growing concerns for protecting natural lands, installers and project developers, with the help of scientists and engineers, continuously try to locate alternative spots for photovoltaic (PV) system installations. In the present paper a novel approach is suggested and analysed: installing solar PV systems...

Following the successful Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) system worldwide, few countries have implemented FiTs explicitly tailored for off-grid or mini-grid systems. This study takes an integrated approach to examine the feasibility of an off-grid Feed-in Tariff (off-FiT) for existing and new remote mini-grids in Tanzania, using a combination of geographica...

The present study introduces a multi-criteria index to assess flood hazard areas in a regional scale. Accordingly, a Flood Hazard Index (FHI) has been defined and a spatial analysis in a GIS environment has been applied for the estimation of its value. The developed methodology processes information of seven parameters namely flow accumulation, di...

Large-scale solar farms are usually located on agricultural fields, covering areas from few up to hundred hectares. However, installing solar PV systems on agricultural land has been questioned by some analysts, because it might compete with agricultural production. Thus, policy organizations and governments among their strategies to support renewa...

The study presents a cost effective electricity generation portfolio for six island states for a 20-year period (2015–2035). The underlying concept investigates whether adding sizeable power capacities of renewable energy sources (RES) options could decrease the overall costs and contribute to a more sustainable, indigenous electricity generation a...

The determination of the optimal values of the numerous parameters involved in the design of complex construction elements has always been a challenge for engineers. The use of optimization approaches and techniques has gradually replaced the practice of empirical determination of crucial design parameters. The quest for more robust but at the same...

In the present paper, the authors present a new hybrid optimization technique toward optimum reservoir planning and operation. The basis of the developed hybrid algorithms is the combination of harmony search (HS) and incremental dynamic programming (IDP). This resulted in the development of a new algorithm and two variants, all of which are descri...

The Global PV production and installation markets have experienced very fluctuating pathways in the various key performing countries. The latest Photovoltaic Snapshot [1] gives most up-to-date accurate picture of the overall development since 2005. While the key European participants of the PV panel and cell production markets has experienced a fas...

The economic exploitation of existing agricultural infrastructure is a policy that has recently attracted the interest of the public sector, the local communities and investors, worldwide. In January 2013 the US Congress approved an "Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act" that promoted hydropower development in existing infrastructure. Agricultural...

The need to develop and apply new optimization techniques in order to achieve more efficient and effective solutions in complex management problems, has led to the introduction of a series of interesting new methods. The meta-heuristic method of music-based Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) is one of the leading optimization techniques nowadays with a...

Recognizing the issues of land shortage and growing concerns for protecting natural lands, installers, project developers with the help of scientists and engineers try to locate alternative spots for PV-systems installations. In the present paper the authors describe a novel approach, installing PV systems on the outside face of dams. This approach...

From early times people have realised that managing a situation that included many alternatives, is nothing less and nothing more than determining the solution with the more positive and less negative consequences. The procedure to determine the “ideal” solution is called optimisation. This paper provides a brief description of the most important m...

The economical exploitation of existing agricultural infrastructure is a policy that has recently attracted the interest of the public sector, the local communities and investors, worldwide. Agricultural infrastructure as a rule has an important construction cost because even its basic elements (irrigation networks, pumping stations and others) hav...

During the last years the interest of those involved in hydroelectricity has been attracted by mini-hydro projects, due to their minimal environmental impact and low installation cost. Besides, mini hydros can cooperate with an impressively wide extend of water-related infrastructure, offering a broad potential for investment. In the present chapte...

EU’s strategy towards hydropower energy production has turned to support small-scale hydroelectricity. According to the 2012 EEA’s report, forthcoming EU policies in order to promote hydropower must be compatible with the WFD, minimizing the ecological impacts. Typically micro hydroelectricity refers to hydro-plants with a power capacity less than...

The present study aims to develop a problem-independent, generic optimization toolkit applicable to engineering optimization problems. The authors designed a program in MATLAB environment, using a Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) in its core. A Java-based Optimization Toolkit has also been developed, taking advantage of the inherent features of objec...

In the present study the authors present a novel, hybrid optimization technique for optimal reservoir planning and management. The new method couples Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) with Incremental Dynamic Programming (IDP), resulting to the creation of an effective, hybrid optimization technique. The HSA algorithm creates feasible initial trajecto...

The interest of those involved in hydroelectricity has been attracted by mini-hydro projects due to their minimal environmental impact and low installation cost. Besides, mini hydros can cooperate with an impressively wide extent of water-related infrastructure, offering a broad potential for investment. In the present chapter, the integrated solut...

During the last few years Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), a new optimization technique, has been used effectively in solving large scale problems. In this paper along with a brief presentation of HSA, an application on classic Dam Scheduling problem is presented. This application concerns the optimum operation of a four-reservoir system over 24 hou...

EU's strategy towards hydropower energy production has turned to support small-scale hydroelectricity. According to the 2012 EEA's report, forthcoming EU policies in order to promote hydropower must be compatible with the WFD, minimizing the ecological impacts. This explains why the interest of those involved in hydroelectricity has been attracted...

During the past few years a new method has been added to those optimization techniques inspired by natural phenomena like genetic algorithms. The music-inspired harmony based optimization algorithm, commonly referred to as Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), is a novel, powerful optimization technique based on the observation of music creation and its...

Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) is a metaheuristic method that has attracted the scientific interest since its first presentation in 2001. It is a music inspired method, imitating the music creation process in order to find optimal solutions in complicated problems. HSA’s successful application on single – objective optimization problems has resulte...

During the last years multiobjective optimization has attracted the interest of those involved in the optimization field. Real problems usually involve the simultaneous optimization of several objectives, a fact that makes multiobjective optimization a priority. In 2001 Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), a new optimization technique was presented. Thi...

Most of the known optimization techniques are inspired by physical phenomena and imitate a natural procedure. In 2001, a new optimization technique, Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA), was presented. This novel metaheuristic is based on the observation that the aim of music creation is the quest of the perfect state of harmony. This quest is relevant t...

After its first presentation in the year 2000, Harmony Search Algorithm, a new optimization technique has gained the scientific interest of those involved in optimization simulation. This technique is based on an analogy between music creation and optimization. In the same way musicians seek for the perfect state of Harmony, HSA seeks for the best...

The potential of Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) which is an optimization technique presented a few years ago, has encouraged scientists from various fields to solve complex, large scale problems. Because of its successful implementations, it is considered as a robust optimization tool and publications regarding its applications show a remarkable in...