Abstract
The operating conditions of Nordic hydropower plants are expected to change in the coming years to work more in conjunction with intermittent power production, causing more frequent hydropeaking events. Hydropeaking has been shown to be detrimental to wildlife in the river reaches downstream of hydropower plants. In this work, we investigate how different possible future hydropeaking scenarios affect the water surface elevation dynamics in a bypass reach in the Ume River in northern Sweden. The river dynamics has been modeled using the open-source solver Delft3D. The numerical model was validated and calibrated with water-surface-elevation measurements. A hysteresis effect on the water surface elevation, varying with the downstream distance from the spillways, was seen in both the simulated and the measured data. Increasing the hydropeaking rate is shown to dampen the variation in water surface elevation and wetted area in the most downstream parts of the reach, which could have positive effects on habitat and bed stability compared to slower rates in that region.
Highlights
When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, most of the world committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to keep global warming temperatures below two degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels [1]
Most of the renewable energy produced in Europe is either hydropower or intermittent power sources such as wind power and solar power [6]
In order for this to be achievable on a European scale, the role of Nordic hydropower is expected to change to be more aligned with the power production needs of mainland Europe rather than producing power
Summary
When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016, most of the world committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions in order to keep global warming temperatures below two degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial levels [1]. The European Council aims to cut at least 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 as well as have 32% renewable energy [5]. Most of the renewable energy produced in Europe is either hydropower (mainly the Nordic countries) or intermittent power sources such as wind power and solar power [6]. When the weather changes and the conditions become less favorable, hydropower can be used as a complement to stabilize the power grid. In order for this to be achievable on a European scale, the role of Nordic hydropower is expected to change to be more aligned with the power production needs of mainland Europe rather than producing power
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