Large-scale Hydropower Projects Research Articles

Dynamic path planning of autonomous bulldozers using activity-value-optimised bio-inspired neural networks and adaptive cell decomposition

Autonomous bulldozers encounter critical challenges in dynamic path planning in complex construction environments such as dynamic obstacles and narrow passages. Bio-inspired neural networks (BINN) are commonly employed for real-time path planning in dynamic environments. However, the algorithm is not feasible enough to calculate the positive input of neighbour cells, thus resulting in unreasonable distribution of activity values in the obstacle-dense regions. Additionally, the use of regular grids results in excessive computation. These drawbacks cause the algorithm to plan irrational paths and reduce computational efficiency. This study proposed an activity-value-optimised BINN and adaptive cell decomposition for the dynamic path planning of autonomous bulldozers. First, an adaptive cell decomposition method was proposed to model a highly intricate and constantly evolving environment, resulting in a reduction in the computational workload of the BINN. Second, the calculation of the activity value is optimised by enhancing the shunt equation of the BINN, which considers both obstacles and grid levels. This improvement enabled more reasonable distribution results. The smoothness of dynamic path planning is refined by incorporating the turning radius, which can be more effectively integrated with local path planning. Compared with the original BINN algorithm and other baseline algorithms, a practical large-scale hydropower project application demonstrated that the proposed method can effectively reduce the number of computational iterations, enrich the travel direction, and improve path quality while ensuring dynamic obstacle avoidance.

Numerical investigation on characteristics of vortex dissipation in multi-horizontal submerged jets stilling basin.

Multi-horizontal submerged jets stilling basins have been utilized in large-scale water conservancy and hydropower projects due to its stable flow pattern, high energy dissipation rate and less atomization. This study employs vorticity criterion, Q criterion, λ2 criterion and Ω criterion to investigate the characteristics of vortex formation and turbulent dissipation in multi-horizontal submerged jets stilling basins with various configurations, including crest overflowing orifice alone (COO), combination of crest overflowing orifice and mid-discharge orifice (COO-MO) and mid-discharge orifice alone (MO). The results indicate that the Q criterion and λ2 criterion are effective in identifying vortex structure within multi-horizontal submerged jets stilling basin. Specifically, the stronger intensity of vortex structure and vortex dissipation are mainly distributed in the vicinity of the vertical drop, which gradually weakens for the increasing distance to the vertical drop. Furthermore, the intensity and number of vortexes with COO-MO are the largest. This conclusion can provide guidance for energy dissipation and bottom protection of stilling pool.

Promoting social justice and women's rights: Mitigating the negative impacts of large hydropower projects on tribal women in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region

This study highlights the significance of comprehending the region's caste system and cultural norms and their influence on implementing compensation and resettlement programs in hydropower projects to gain social sustainability. By leveraging Social Justice Theory, we examine how systemic inequalities affect tribal women, particularly in the context of large-scale hydropower projects. Tribal women's social and cultural identities expose them to vulnerabilities, leading to negative consequences concerning large-scale hydropower projects. The lack of access to justice and limited participation in decision-making poses social justice challenges, undermining their fundamental rights, such as basic needs, healthcare, and education. Consequently, their well-being and quality of life suffer, impeding support for such projects. The extent of these adverse effects may vary depending on whether women belong to local (Indigenous) or non-local tribes (non-Indigenous). Our analysis reveals the critical role of tribal affiliation in moderating the relationship between social justice dimensions—such as distributive, procedural, substantive, and recognition justice—and social sustainability, offering new insights into Social Justice Theory. This study explores the potential of careful planning that prioritises the needs of tribal women regardless of tribal affiliation to mitigate these negative social consequences. The study employs a social justice framework to address these challenges. Through the analysis of 511 questionnaires using PLS-SEM, the study revealed that tribal affiliation moderates the relationship between social justice and sustainability. This contribution enriches Social Justice Theory by providing empirical evidence of the intersectionality of social justice issues in the context of development projects. The study further identified that social sustainability and community satisfaction mediate the relationship between social justice and support for hydropower projects, while tribal affiliation moderates this relationship.

Rock Mass Structure Classification of Caves Based on the 3D Rock Block Index

In large-scale water conservancy and hydropower projects, complex rock structures are considered to be the main factor controlling the stability of hydraulic structures. The classification of rock mass structure plays an important role in the safety of all kinds of large buildings, especially underground engineering buildings. As a quantitative classification index of rock mass, the rock block index is very common in the classification of borehole and dam foundation rock mass structures. However, there are few studies on the classification of underground engineering rock masses. Moreover, their classification criteria have disadvantages in spatial dimension. Therefore, this paper takes the long exploratory cave CPD1 in the water transmission and power generation system of the Qingtian pumped storage power station in Zhejiang Province as the research object and launches a study on the structural classification of the rock mass of a flat cave based on the 3D rock block index. According to the group distribution of joints, the sections are statistically homogeneous. Additionally, the Monte Carlo method is used to carry out random simulations to generate a three-dimensional joint network model. The virtual survey lines are arranged along the center of the shape of the three different orthogonal planes of the 3D joint network model to represent the boreholes, and the RBI values of the virtual survey lines on each orthogonal plane are counted to classify the rock mass structure of the flat cave in a refined manner using the rock block index of the rock mass in 3D. The above method realizes the application of the 3D rock block index in underground engineering and overcomes the limitations of traditional rock mass classification methods in terms of classification index and dimension. The results show that: (1) Three-dimensional joint network simulations built on statistical and probabilistic foundations can visualize the structure of the rock mass and more accurately reflect the structural characteristics of the actual rock mass. (2) Based on the 3D rock block index, the rock mass structure of the long-tunnel CPD1 is classified, from that of a continuous structure to a blocky structure, corresponding to the integrity of the rock mass from complete to relatively complete. The classification results are consistent with the evaluation results of horizontal tunnel seismic wave geophysical exploration. (3) Based on the 3D joint network model, it is reasonable and feasible to use the 3D rock block index as a quantitative evaluation index to determine the structure type of flat cave rock masses. The above method is helpful and significant in the classification of underground engineering rock mass structures.

Multi-effect equilibrium analysis for sector-level direct/indirect socio-economic and environmental effects of large-scale hydropower initiatives: A case study for the world's 7th-largest hydropower project

An increasing number of large-scale hydropower projects (LHPs) are constructed in various countries to combat climate change. Besides hydropower generation, LHPs could also contribute to water supply, irrigation, navigation, flood control, and other comprehensive benefits. Thus, it is essential to quantitatively analyze the overall and sub-functional benefits of LHPs in their operational phase. In this study, a multi-effect LHP equilibrium analysis model has been proposed and applied to the Wudongde Hydropower Station (WDD) to investigate its sector-level direct/indirect socio-economic and environmental (SEE) effects. The results indicate that WDD's operation greatly promotes the regional socio-economic growth and facilitates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. The increased value of indirect gross domestic product (GDP) is equivalent to 0.027% of the total GDP of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in 2021, and the annual decreased amount of indirect GHG emissions is about 260.8 million tonnes. The results shed light on the contributions of different sub-functions of LHP to SEE indicators, which plays a pivotal role for decision-makers in formulating LHP-related operational planning and GHG emission reduction policies. Moreover, the modeling framework can be extended to assess the SEE effects of other LHPs around the world.

Deformation Characteristics and Stability Prediction of Mala Landslide at Miaowei Hydropower Station under Hydrodynamic Action

In recent years, with the completion of the construction of large-scale hydropower projects in China, a series of engineering geological problems that occurred during the operation of the hydropower station have become an important issue affecting the normal operation of hydropower stations. Landslides on reservoir slopes triggered especially by water storage and other factors related to the construction of hydropower stations seriously affect the normal operation of the hydropower station and lead to other geological disasters. Research indicates that many reservoir-area landslides are triggered by hydrodynamic forces resulting from water level fluctuations in hydroelectric power stations. The Mala landslide of Miaowei Hydropower Station in the Lancang River Basin of China is taken as the engineering example to study the influence of hydrodynamic forces on the deformation characteristics and stability trends of the landslide. This paper explores the formation mechanism and influencing factors of the Mala landslide by conducting a field investigation of the Mala landslide and analyzing the monitoring data. Additionally, this paper also discusses the impacts of water storage, rainfall, and engineering construction on landslide induction. It is considered that the evolution of the Mala landslide from the initial stage of water storage to the current state mainly includes four stages: small-scale bank collapse stage, creep deformation stage, accelerated sliding stage, and uniform sliding stage. Moreover, the changes in the trend of landslide stability are analyzed using the two-dimensional finite element method. The research results provide a valuable reference for understanding the formation mechanism and predicting the deformation of reservoir landslides, which has considerable engineering practical significance.

The secrets of hydropower and PTX in Greenland

The secrets of hydropower and PTX in Greenland Greenland is a prime location for large-scale hydropower projects. Renewable energy investment possibilities are, therefore, abundant, writes Claus Andersen-Aagaard, Chief Executive Officer of GreenLead. One of the lesser-known facts about the Arctic is its potential to solve a part of the climate crisis. Melting glaciers, high up in mountain ranges, create the perfect conditions for large-scale hydropower. With a government actively looking for investors, it is a wonder that over 60 well-documented renewable energy opportunities continue to be known by so few. Greenland is home to some of the planet’s most extensive and untouched natural landscapes. Its abundant water resources, including vast glaciers and numerous rivers, make it an ideal location for large-scale hydroelectric power projects.

Multi-source monitoring data helps revealing and quantifying the excavation-induced deterioration of rock mass

There exist many high-steep rock slopes in Southwest China due to the construction of large-scale hydropower projects. The study on excavation-induced damage of high rock slopes is vital for disaster prevention and mitigation. Due to the complexity of high-steep rock slopes, assessing the excavation-induced deterioration of rock mass is often challenging. This study used the space-borne Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and multipoint displacement meters to monitor the slope displacements before and after the excavation. Based on the multi-source monitoring data and the parameter estimation method, we evaluated the changes in rock mass properties due to slope excavation. We employed an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm with dynamic topology and adaptive parameter adjustment and a neural network-based surrogate model in the parameter estimation. The degradation of rock mass strength and stiffness coincides with the increased sensitivity of slope deformation to rainfall infiltration. An in-depth analysis indicates that the absence of vegetation protection and excavation-induced deterioration of rock masses are responsible for the noticeable slope deformation during the rainy season. As slope excavation profoundly influences slope stability and deformation, we should pay closer attention to the excavation way and support style. This study also demonstrates the benefits of using multi-source monitoring data in slope deformation analysis. The findings can aid in comprehending the deformation evolution and instability mechanisms of rock slopes excavated at the hydropower sites, thereby contributing to the prevention and mitigation of landslide disasters.

InSAR-based method for deformation monitoring of landslide source area in Baihetan reservoir, China

As a cascading disaster, the surge caused by the reservoir bank landslide seriously affects the stability of the reservoir bank and the dam body. In addition, large-scale hydropower projects are usually built in mountain and canyon areas with active geological structure movement, which provides rich material sources for the occurrence of landslides, so it is of great significance to monitor the deformation in the landslide source area of the reservoir. As science and technology have been leaping forward, a wide variety of high and novel technologies have been proposed, which can be adopted to monitor landslide deformation. It is noteworthy that InSAR is capable of monitoring target monitoring areas all time under all weathers without the need to install any equipment. In this study, the time series deformation of the main landslide source area of the Baihetan reservoir after water storage was determined based on the time series InSAR method. The average annual deformation rate of the landslide source area of the Baihetan reservoir from April 2021 to January 2023 was determined by combining the Sentinel-1 SAR data of 55 ascending tracks and 46 descending tracks. Moreover, the vegetation cover variations from April 2021 to January 2023 in the study area were determined by combining the remote sensing data of Landsat8-9. A total of four typical source areas were selected based on the field investigation to analyze the deformation monitoring results and the vegetation cover variations. As indicated by the results: 1) After water storage, the slope deformation in all source areas was larger in the short term, and the deformation rate of the lower part turned out to be more significant, and the deformation rate exceeded 334.583 mm/year. 2) On the steep slope, the effect of different types of vegetation on restraining deformation was different. The optimal effect was reported in shrubs, followed by grasslands, and the worst effect was reported in woodlands. The results of this study can provide scientific support for the prevention and control of regional geological disasters.

Large hydropower projects increase stressdespite compensation efforts: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon.

Large hydropower projects continue to be built in developing nations, despite their known negative impacts. Large-scale energy projects strain local infrastructure and reduce access to infrastructure for households that live near them. Here we investigate the link between large-scale hydropower projects and stress. Our results suggest that these projects create stress through two mechanisms: strains on community resources and through the process of displacement. We also ask how compensation and resettlement programs condition these relationships. Using data from the Madeira river basin in the Brazilian Amazon, we find that hydropower projects increase stress by reducing access to energy, water, sanitation and land. Compensation provided was not sufficient to moderate this effect.

The role of civil engineers in large-scale hydropower projects

The role of civil engineers in large-scale hydropower projects

Gravelly soil uniformity identification based on the optimized Mask R-CNN model

The uniformity of gravelly soil has an important influence on compaction quality. The most important task to judge the uniformity of gravelly soil is to segment the gravels from the image. However, gravels are widely and densely distributed, and their particle size varies greatly, increasing segmentation difficulty. Among existing studies, research on rapid and quantitative judgment methods of gravelly soil uniformity remains scarce. To address the abovementioned issue, a gravelly soil uniformity identification based on the optimized Mask R-CNN model is proposed. The original Mask R-CNN only produces one combined mask of multiple overlapping gravels, which hinders postprocessing and uniformity calculation. To address this problem, separate masks for each gravel are generated for better parameter calculation. Then, according to the characteristics of the pixel image of a single mask, the calculation of static moment is deduced and simplified. Finally, the single mask dataset of the optimized Mask R-CNN and static distance theory are used to establish a quantitative evaluation index of gravelly soil uniformity, in which the uniformity coefficient (UC) and area ratio coefficient (ARC) are adopted. In addition, the convergence curves and the Average Precision (AP) of the ResNet101 and the ResNet50 backbones are compared, and the result proves the superiority of ResNet101 in gravel segmentation. Furthermore, three data enhancement methods (namely, rotation, mirroring, and brightness transformation) are adopted to improve the AP performance and result in a 2.32% increase. The application in a real large-scale hydropower project shows that the AP can reach 88.96%, and each calculation and analysis can be controlled within one minute, which shows the effectiveness, convenience and efficiency of the method.

Drone-based investigation of natural restoration of vegetation in the water level fluctuation zone of cascade reservoirs in Jinsha River

The reservoir water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) is a new and fragile ecosystem that is gaining attention with the construction of large and medium-sized hydropower plants. Compared to the natural riparian zone, it has a greater drop in water level, longer inundation time, more intense impact from alternating wet and dry conditions, and a wider impact on ecological security. The Jinsha River basin is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China, and several world-class large-scale hydropower projects with dam heights over 100 m have been built, forming a large area of reservoir WLFZ, however, due to the short time since their construction, there are few related studies. In this paper, fixed sample plots were set up in the typical WLFZs of each large reservoir in the Jinsha River basin. In response to the problem of the precipitous terrain and poor accessibility of the Jinsha River basin, a combination of small UAV surveys and field research in July 2020 was used to draw vegetation cover maps and extract topographic data for each site, and quantitatively analyse the community composition, dominant species types, area, coverage, spatial distribution patterns and environmental factors of tolerant vegetation using spatial superposition analysis, neural network models, landscape pattern indices and typical correlation analysis. The results showed that the original drought-tolerant vegetation in the arid river valley WLFZ has evolved into amphibious herbaceous vegetation, with trees and shrubs disappearing and species composition tending to be simpler. 44 species of plants, mainly in the Asteraceae and Gramineae families, were extant, 61% of which were also reported in the Three Gorges Reservoir WLFZ. The water level variation showed convergence in the natural screening process of suitable species in the WLFZ. Moreover, even in the dry valley WLFZs, flood stress showed a more significant filtering effect on vegetation species than drought stress. The vegetation in the WLFZ showed an obvious band-like aggregated distribution along the water level elevation gradient, and the vegetation coverage along the flooding gradient is as follows: upper part of the WLFZ >> middle part > lower part, and mainly concentrated in the gentle area with slope less than 35°. Flooding stress, drought stress and soil substrate deficiency were the main limiting factors for vegetation recovery in the WLFZ. The vegetation restoration of the WLFZ should be adapted to local conditions, and the dominant role of native species should be emphasized. At the early stage of the restoration of the WLFZ, native species should be selected for artificial planting to accelerate the formation of vegetation cover, and gradually advance downwards along the gradient of water level elevation, while for areas of the WLFZ with slopes greater than 35° and large topographic relief, biological engineering measures should be used to help plant establishment, and after a certain stable cover has been formed, natural restoration should be the main focus.

Sector-level socio-economic and environmental effects of large-scale hydropower initiatives -- a multi-region multi-phase model for the Wudongde Hydropower Station

Large-scale hydropower projects (LHPs) supply a huge amount of clean electricity and could help achieve global/national carbon emission mitigation goals. The development of LHPs generally has tremendous impacts on multiple regions and different socio-economic and environmental (SEE) effects on various sectors at construction and operational phases. Thus, it is significant to quantitively evaluate the distributive and distinctive SEE effects of large-scale hydropower initiatives from a sectoral perspective to provide references for the construction or planning of new water conservancy projects. In this study, a multi-region multi-phase SEE analysis model (MMSEE) has been developed through incorporating a multi-regional input–output model (with 5 regions and 129 sectors) and ecological network analysis. The proposed model was first applied to assess the sector-level SEE effects of the newly completed Wudongde Hydropower Station (WDD) at its construction and operational phases. Results show that the total output and employment of the sector of Construction had been significantly affected by the construction investment of WDD project and the employment increase of this sector accounted for 75% and 63% of the total increase of employment in Sichuan and Yunnan, respectively. Changes in the total outputs of Hydropower sector in Sichuan, Yunnan, and the whole Yangtze River Economic Belt were the biggest at operational phase. In addition, more attention should be paid to sectors of Thermal power, Other manufacturing, and Chemical industry in Guangdong to accomplish future environmental goals by 2025. Results also indicate that the WDD project would help Guangdong save 30% emission reduction space and achieve the emission reduction target of the “14th Five-Year Plan” of this province. In addition, the modeling framework can be extended to evaluate other LHPs around the world and provide policy formulation references for decision-makers.

An Attempt to Evaluate the Green Construction of Large-Scale Hydropower Projects: Taking Wudongde Hydropower Station on the Jinsha River, China as an Example

Huge amounts of energy and resources will be consumed, and a large quantity of environmental pollutants will be produced during the construction process of large-scale hydropower projects. As a core link of green supply chain in hydropower projects, green construction is particularly critical. To objectively evaluate the green construction level of large-scale hydropower projects, an evaluation indicator system was constructed in the study. The evaluation system consisted of 30 quantitative indicators and 7 qualitative indicators from the perspectives of environmental protection, resource saving and comprehensive management on the basis of the construction characteristics of large-scale hydropower projects. The quantitative and qualitative evaluation standards were proposed by combining with relevant laws and regulations, specifications and standards, and the environmental management maturity model. Furthermore, taking the second quarter of 2018 in Wudongde Hydropower Station on the Jinsha River, China, as an example, green construction level was assessed by the analytic hierarchy process fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (AHP-FCE) method. The calculation results indicated that the evaluation value of green construction in Wudongde Hydropower Station was 3.697, at “Good” level. The evaluation values of environmental protection, resource saving, and comprehensive management were 3.681, 3.473, and 3.965, respectively, within the range of 3 to 4, so they were all evaluated to be “Good”. To further improve the green construction level, it was necessary to supervise some aspects of construction process, i.e., treatment of waste slag in construction, economical and intensive utilization of land, publicity and training, soil erosion control, and saving water resources. In particular, management of soil erosion control should be strengthened. The proposed green construction evaluation system is relatively reliable and practical for professionals in the green hydropower industry, and can provide a reference for other large-scale hydropower projects.

Improving Design by Partnering in Engineering–Procurement–Construction (EPC) Hydropower Projects: A Case Study of a Large-Scale Hydropower Project in China

Hydropower, as a renewable energy resource, has become an important way to fit for Chinese long-term energy policy of energy transformation. Engineering–procurement–construction (EPC) has been increasingly adopted for improving hydropower project delivery efficiency in the utilization of water resources and generation of clean energy, where design plays a critical role in project success. Existing studies advocate the need to use partnering for better solutions to designs in EPC hydropower projects. However, there is a lack of a theoretical framework to systematically address design-related issues considering different participants’ interactions. This study coherently examined the causal relationships among partnering, design management, design capability, and EPC hydropower project performance by establishing and validating a conceptual model, with the support of data collected from a large-scale EPC hydropower project. Path analysis reveals that partnering can directly promote design management and design capability and exert an effect on design capability through enhancing design management, thereby achieving better hydropower project outcomes. This study’s contribution lies in that it theoretically builds the links between intra- and inter-organizational design-related activities by systematically mapping EPC hydropower project performance on partnering, design management, and design capability. These findings also suggest broad practical strategies for participants to optimally integrate their complementary resources into designs to achieve superior hydropower project performance.

Study on Mutual Feedback Mechanism and Stability Control of Toppling Slope and Tunnels with High Excavation Rate

During the construction of large-scale hydropower projects in deep mountain gorge areas of the Western China, the difficulties, such as uncontrollable large deformation, great deformation caused by small disturbance, are often encountered in the process of implementation. In particular, due to the limitation of topography, geological conditions and the layout of structures, the slope and dense tunnel group with large section need to be excavated simultaneously in the toppling rock mass. The feedback action mechanism between slope and tunnel excavation is complicated and the deformation control of toppling rock is difficult, which leads to great challenges to engineering construction. In MW hydropower project in west of China, the intake slope, the spillway channel slope, four headrace tunnels, and the sand flushing tunnel, as well as the construction traffic tunnel are arranged in Huishi Ridge on the left bank, where two high slopes and six lager cross-section tunnels are simultaneously excavated and the excavation rate in the toppling deformation rock mass is over 50%, moreover, the lateral coverage thickness of tunnel body is less than the diameter of the tunnel, which leads to the great difficulty of stability control. The excavation stability and safe of the thin mountain ridge is the vital issue to the success of the whole project. Based on the study of the physical and mechanical parameters of toppling rock mass of MW HPP, the mutual feedback mechanism of toppling slope and tunnel group is revealed, an excavation method involving horizontal partitioning, vertical layering, reserving rock plug and reasonable skipping warehouse is proposed. Monitoring results shows that the slope and surrounding rock of the tunnels are stable during the operation period. The research of this paper based on the MW HPP can provide reference for other similar projects.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Hydrogeological Impact of Tunnel Construction in Karst Aquifers by 3D Numerical Simulations and Water Balance Models

Underground engineering activities such as tunnelling are commonly involved in large-scale hydraulic and hydropower projects. In karst regions, tunnel engineering often encounters geological disasters such as water inrush and ground collapse. Water discharge during tunnel construction can also strongly disturb the karst groundwater systems. The above issues require a comprehensive evaluation of the hydrogeological impact of tunnel engineering. In this study, we adopted both a 3D numerical approach based on coupled discrete-continuum models and a modified lumped-parameter water balance model to comprehensively evaluate the hydrogeological impact of tunnel engineering during implementation of the Jiayan Water Diversion Project in Guizhou Province. In the numerical approach, a high-resolution 3D model was built to quantitatively evaluate the spatial and temporal characteristics of the tunnel construction impact on a karst groundwater system. It was shown that during construction, the groundwater drainage through the tunnels accounted for about 11% of the total groundwater discharge in the studied area. The total discharge through karst conduits decreases by about 30% in response to the tunnel construction. Meanwhile, the lumped-parameter water balance model provided an avenue for fast evaluation the impact of tunnel construction on the discharge from the aquifer system. The discharge through the spring and tunnels evaluated by water balance model are in good agreement with the results of the numerical model. On a whole, our work demonstrates the use of different modelling approaches to study karst groundwater flow affected by tunnel engineering that can be of values for different stages of an engineering project.

Comparative Study on Temperature Response of Hydropower Development in the Dry-Hot Valley.

Due to the specific hydrothermal conditions of dry‐hot valleys, temperature changes caused by the development of large‐scale hydropower projects may be more extreme than they are in other regions. In this study, we analyzed these temperature changes at four hydropower stations in both dry‐hot and non‐dry‐hot valleys. Based on the calculated relative temperatures of the downstream river and the areas surrounding the reservoirs, we employed two indices to quantify the influence of the reservoirs on the temperatures of these two regions: the downstream river temperature change and the reservoir effect change intensity. Our results are as follows: (a) In the downstream rivers, the temperature regulation effect was more pronounced in the wet season; in the regions surrounding the reservoirs, the temperature regulation effect was more pronounced in the dry season. (b) The downstream river temperature in both the dry‐hot and wet‐hot valleys exhibited noticeable warming in both the wet and dry seasons, while the cold‐dry valley was characterized by cooling in the dry season and warming in the wet season. With the exception of the Liyuan station (where the influence of the reservoir on the downstream temperatures only extended to a distance of 9 km from the dam) during the dry season, the existence of the hydropower stations affected the temperatures of the entire downstream region. (c) For the areas surrounding the reservoir, the presence of a hydropower station mainly caused the temperatures in the dry‐hot valleys to rise and the temperatures in the non‐dry‐hot valleys to decrease.

Is hydropower worth it? Exploring amazonian resettlement, human development and environmental costs with the Belo Monte project in Brazil

Nations in the Global South have turned to massive hydropower projects to provide for the energy needs of their growing economies. Large-scale hydropower projects cause untold environmental damage to river ecosystems, to fish biodiversity, and displace millions of people globally. Much research documents these impacts, yet we do not know if these populations support the development of hydropower. In this paper, we aim to understand how direct experiences with resettlement might influence the support or opposition to hydropower development considering energy justice, particularly the restorative and procedural tenets, as a motivating framework. Our research is based on social survey data from a population resettled during the construction of the Belo Monte dam in the Brazillian Amazon. Results from partial proportional odds models suggest that a slim majority feel that hydropower is worth the cost, yet even this support declines as perceived impacts increase. These populations hold nuanced views and are not uniformly negative about dams, regretting the negative outcomes for them but believing the government discourse that the energy needs of the country may require them to sacrifice for the larger good. Support for hydropower as well as energy injustices might vary considerably across communities that are impacted differentially by Belo Monte.