So-called ‘green’ bonds have swiftly moved from a standing start in 2007–08 to being worth in the region of USD 37bn by the end of 2014 and as an asset class appear to be here to stay.

Hydropower and the Rise of Green Bonds looks at the growth and evolution of the green bonds market, and how hydropower fits into the picture.

The need for water as energy storage for better integration of renewables is a policy brief produced by the United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) in colloboration with the International Hydropower Association (IHA) and the Centre for Environmental Design of Renewable Energy (CEDREN).

The brief follows a seminar on the subject convened by the three organisations at 2014 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

The brief explores water as energy storage in the context of the water–energy nexus, and how the planning, operation and management of storage or pumped-storage hydropower needs to adopt a nexus perspective.

It includes three case studies:

• The island El Hierro, Spain: 100 per cent renewable energy by integrating wind and solar energy with pumped hydro on a small scale
• Integration of wind and hydro power in Ethiopia: large opportunities for a developing country
• Hydro as a carrier for both off- and on-grid electrification and as energy storage for better integration of renewables in Mozambique

Advancing Sustainable Hydropower is our 2014 Activity Report – a publication that highlights achievements in 2013 and outlines our plans for the future.

The report includes:

• Who we are: introducing our vision, mission and values, and the people leading on our strategy
• Our impacts: exploring how we made a difference in 2013 in four key areas
• The future: mapping our work programme for the next two years and introducing the people delivering it
• Membership directory: meet our diverse members, who are active in over 100 countries around the world

The document contains brief details of the additions to each update of the G-res tool.

This document provides a step-by-step guide describing how to use the Earth Engine functionality and how to link the information obtained with the appropriate fields of the G-res tool itself.

The Hydropower Report of IHA is an annual publication that takes an expanded look at hydropower-related developments around the world, as well as giving a review of our activities for the year.

Building on previous activity reports, the 2013 Hydropower Report has an expanded section on the hydropower sector globally and regionally, and reviews our activities over the last year.

The report includes:

• An overview of global trends, with key figures for the past 12 months
• Expanded reports on developments in the hydropower sector at a regional level
• Review of our activities, including sustainability, hydropower development and communications
• Information about our meetings and events, including the upcoming IHA 2013 World Congress

A major milestone has been reached in the UNESCO/IHA Greenhouse Gas Status of Freshwater Reservoirs project, with the launch of the GHG Measurement Guidelines for Freshwater Reservoirs, a landmark publication and the current standard on measuring emissions from reservoirs.

The publication provides individuals responsible in this area with a comprehensive tool to assess the GHG status of freshwater reservoirs, including definitive guidance on measurement and qualification of emissions resulting from the formation of reservoirs.

The guidance covers:

• Concepts and processes involved in making such measurements
• The approach to conducting field measurements
• Guidance on calculating results

With the concept of global application being at the forefront of the development of the GHG Measurement Guidelines, we have ensured that the methodology contained within the publication is applicable to all climate types and reservoir conditions.

By providing the tools required to determine net GHG emissions in a selected set of reservoirs, our intention is to ensure that the results gained will be utilised to develop predictive tools, thereby avoiding the necessity of such intensive field measurements in the future. We anticipate that shared results from the use of these guidelines will contribute to this intention.