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Is hydraulic power intermittent?
Mis à jour le
March 6, 2026
4
Min reading
Faced with the effects of the production and consumption of fossil and fissile energies on the environment, the energy transition is on everyone's lips. Energies that can be produced from natural phenomena are referred to as the perfect alternatives to oil, coal and nuclear power.
Generated thanks to the movements of water, Hydraulic power is one of the most exploited among renewable energy sources. However, it is still behind. Nuclear energy in terms of productivity.
Most of the time, the difficulty of generalizing the supply of renewable energies is justified by the regular variations in weather conditions. The intermittency of this energy is often noted. SirEnergies shows you if hydraulic power is concerned.
Intermittent energy: what is it?
To judge the intermittency of hydraulic power, let us first agree on the definition of a intermittent energy. The latter is the one whose production is difficult to control. Such energy is often not available in sufficient quantities full time. It is characterized by Variations in production due to climate change or natural phenomena.
The expression “intermittent energy” is a prima facie related to renewables because they depend on natural elements that are out of control. The ideal is to assess the intermittency of energies on a case-by-case basis, especially since they do not come from the same sources.
As for hydraulic power or tidal power, it is made available thanks to specific techniques. For several decades, it has been injected into electrical networks in France and around the world. Its production is improving as storage solutions are discovered.
The possibility of controlling the production of hydraulic energy
Hydraulic power can be considered, at first glance, as Intermittent energy. It ceases to be so as soon as it is possible to control the water. This is precisely the case since the storage of water in order to produce energy is a reality.
For this purpose, a reservoir is created to contain water which, in this case, is potential energy. Starting with a turbine, movements and flows are then created. The potential energy is then transformed into electrical energy.
The possibility of controlling water shows that the production of hydraulic energy can be completely controlled. Variations in production can thus be avoided. Pumping equipment, combined with hydroelectric infrastructures, also makes it possible to manage energy surpluses from offshore wind farms.
This surplus wind energy will be transformed into potential energy then stored within the hydraulic production system. The method of storing hydroelectric energy depends on the layout.
Hydraulic installations and storage methods
To date, it exists three layouts or hydroelectric power plants.
Lake hydraulic development
The so-called “lake” hydraulic system takes advantage of a reservoir that makes it possible to regulate the flow of a watercourse during a certain period (season or year). When the reservoir is large enough, this can be used to control water flow over several years.
The reservoir is connected to the hydroelectric power plant via tunnels, pipes, galleries, etc. The aim is to have considerable waterfall heights. Even when the flow rate is not very high, the powers produced can thus be quite high over a short period of time. In a mountainous region, a natural body of water can be used as a reservoir.
Hydraulic development along the river
This type of arrangement is set up on a watercourse and does not have a reservoir. The infrastructure takes advantage of the natural flow of the river. The energy storage capacity of this type of hydroelectric power plant is very limited.
For example, when the flow of the river is average, energy is only stored for about two hours. However, it is possible to set up a chain of hydroelectric power plants over time to better manage. the storage of potential energy.
Hydraulic pump-storage system
Most often called ” pumped energy transfer station ” (STEP), the pump-storage hydraulic system is composed of two water reservoirs, one upstream and the other downstream. To produce energy, water is transferred from the higher-level reservoir to the lower-level reservoir using turbines. This operation is done when the demand for energy is high. On the other hand, water is pumped from the tank bottom up to take advantage of excess energy when demand is low.
The contribution of hydraulics to energy production in France
Hydraulics is The second source used in France to produce electricity, after nuclear power. According to EDF, around 2,300 hydroelectric facilities are available in mainland France. The installed capacity is 25.5 gigawatts (GW).
Tidal energy production is concentrated in four regions, namely Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. According to the Electricity Transmission System Operator (RTE), in 2019, hydroelectricity represented 10.3% of the electricity produced on the territory, with 55.5 TWh.
Hydraulic power is therefore far from being intermittent. Its production is controlled. All that remains is to multiply the number of power plants and to make them more efficient in order to produce hydraulic power, a real competitor to nuclear energy.
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