Theoretical Hydropower Potential Research Articles

Assessment of hydropower potential of some existing obstacles on rivers. Case study: Arges-Vedea basin, Romania

Hydropower represents one of the oldest and most developed technologies for electricity generation. Combined with more and more harsh environmental … societal restrictions, this led to a lack of available sites for developing new hydropower plants. At the same time, water streams are usually equipped with different hydrotechnical works for preventing flooding or assuring/supplying water to various beneficiaries. This is why in the latest years there is a new trend related to empowering existing hydrotechnical structures. This paper presents an assessment of the theoretical hydropower potential for 7 existing water barriers in Arges-Vedea hydrographic basin, Romania. Based on historical river discharge data and forecasted data for two climate change scenarios, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, the gain in clean energy is presented and compared with the results for the reference period. The results show that while the cost of empowering the considered sites is around 760,000 Euro, a total energy generation of over 600 MWh/year can be obtained.

Meteorological drought effect for Central Europe's hydropower potential

The aim of the study was the assessment of the impact of meteorological drought on the hydropower potential of selected Central European rivers. The main novelty of conducted study was find answer for question, how strong this kind of drought affecting on rivers hydropower potential. The study was carried out for 6 catchments located in the upper Vistula river basin (Poland): Dunajec (49°28′40″N 20°01′48″E), San (49°13′32″N 22°33′05″E), Rudawa (50°05′13″N 19°47′32″E), Skawinka (49°56′17″N 19°48′37″E), Czarna (50°40′25″N 21°02′44″E) and Koprzywianka (50°35′26″N 21°35′01″E). The analyses were carried out, based on hydro-meteorological data for period 1981–2020, with the following steps: determination of values of hydroenergetic potential of rivers, trend analysis of precipitation data and hydroenergetic potential of rivers, determination of values of standardised precipitation indices (SPI), analysis of relations between SPI indices and hydroenergetic potential of rivers. The study showed that the analysed catchments were characterised by spatially and temporally varying hydropower potential. The trend analysis showed a lack of unambiguous trends in hydropower potential values and precipitation totals, for the time periods studied. The analysis of the course of meteorological drought with SPI indices showed that it occurred with varying intensity during the time period studied (the distribution of wet years was similar to periods with drought, however, these periods occurred less frequently as meteorological drought). Statistically significant relationships were found between the course of meteorological drought and the development of the theoretical hydropower potential of the study catchments.

A global-scale hydropower potential assessment and feasibility evaluations

Assessing the possible locations and evaluating the spatial distribution of hydropower potentials at the global and regional scale is crucial for planning future energy development activities. This study assesses run–of–river-based hydropower potential and evaluates potential sites under technical, economic, and environmental constraints globally. The study used the recent (1965–2014) global runoff dataset (0.5° x 0.5° resolution) for design discharge computation and 90 m × 90 m resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) covering 90°N-60°S for topographical analysis. The design discharges (Q d ) calculated for 30%, 75%, and 95% flow dependability were used in the assessment and evaluations. Further, the economic feasibility of identified potential sites was evaluated by developing empirical relations derived from the observed cost of electromechanical equipment to corresponding head (H) and installed power (P). Globally a theoretical hydropower potential of 25.48 Peta watt-hours per year (PWh/yr) at 95% flow dependability to 184.17 PWh/yr at 30% flow dependability was estimated. The energy ranges from 7.06 PWh/yr to 49.05 PWh/yr are technically feasible for the design discharge calculated from 95% to 30% flow dependability, respectively. After excluding environmentally unsuitable and economically less competitive (Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCoE) > US$ 0.1/kWh) potential sites, it was estimated that an exploitable hydropower potential of 5.42 PWh/yr at 95% flow dependability to 39.56 PWh/yr at 30% flow dependability would be available globally.

Systematic high-resolution assessment of global hydropower potential

Population growth, increasing energy demand and the depletion of fossil fuel reserves necessitate a search for sustainable alternatives for electricity generation. Hydropower could replace a large part of the contribution of gas and oil to the present energy mix. However, previous high-resolution estimates of hydropower potential have been local, and have yet to be applied on a global scale. This study is the first to formally present a detailed evaluation of the hydropower potential of each location, based on slope and discharge of each river in the world. The gross theoretical hydropower potential is approximately 52 PWh/year divided over 11.8 million locations. This 52 PWh/year is equal to 33% of the annually required energy, while the present energy production by hydropower plants is just 3% of the annually required energy. The results of this study: all potentially interesting locations for hydroelectric power plants, are available online.

Regional Assessment of the Hydropower Potential of Rivers in West Africa

In this study the theoretical hydropower potential of all rivers in West Africa was assessed. The study domain covers 5 Mio km2. For more than 500,000 river reaches the theoretical hydropower potential was computed from channel slope and mean annual discharge simulated by a water balance model. The model was calibrated with observed discharge at 410 gauges, using precipitation and potential evapotranspiration data as inputs. Possible changes in future discharge were assessed by driving the water balance model with climate projections of 15 Regional Climate Models for two emission scenarios of the CORDEX-Africa ensemble.

気候変動にともなう理論包蔵水力と流況に基づく水力発電量の将来変化

気候変動にともなう理論包蔵水力と流況に基づく水力発電量の将来変化

Climate change in Nepal and its impact on Himalayan glaciers

Climate change can be particularly hard-hitting for small underdeveloped countries, relying heavily on natural resources for the economy and livelihoods. Nepal is one among these countries, being landlocked, with diverse physiographical characteristics within a relatively small territory and with rugged terrain. Poverty is widespread and the capacity of people and the country to cope with climate change impact is low. The country is dominated by the Asian monsoon system. The main occupation is agriculture, largely based on rain-fed farming practices. Tourism based on high altitude adventures is one of the major sources of income for the country. Nepal has a large hydropower potential. While only 0.75% of the theoretical hydropower potential has been tapped, Nepal can greatly benefit from this natural resource in the future. Climate change can adversely impact upon water resources and other sectors of Nepal. The source of water is mainly summer monsoon precipitation and the melting of the large reserve of snow and glaciers in the Himalayan highlands. Observations show clear evidences of significant warming. The average trend in the country is 0.06°C per year. The warming rates are progressively higher for high elevation locations. The warming climate has resulted in rapid shrinking of majority of glaciers in Nepal. This paper presents state-of-knowledge on the glacial dynamics in the country based on studies conducted in the past in Shorong, Khumbu, Langtang, Dhaulagiri and Kanchenjunga regions of Nepal. We present recent trends in river flow and an overview of studies on expected changes in the hydrological regime due to climate change. Formation, growth and likely outburst of glacial lake are phenomena directly related to climate change and deglaciation. This paper provides a synopsis of past glacial lake outburst floods impacting Nepal. Further, likely impacts of climate change on other sectors such as agriculture, biodiversity, human health and livelihoods are discussed.

A GRID BASED ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL THEORETICAL HYDROPOWER POTENTIAL

Hydropower has been accepted as a clean source of energy that relies on proven technology. There are many estimates on global theoretical hydropower potential published in technical literatures, but the results have been found inconsistent. This study presents a 0.5-degree grid based assessment of global theoretical hydropower potential using recent data for global runoff produced by Global Soil Wetness Project, an international land surface modeling project. The gross theoretical hydropower potential for many countries was found larger than the previous estimates. This difference has mainly attributed to the need for a clear view on the theoretical hydropower potential, which would serve as a base to find the technical and economical potential to promote hydro electricity mainly in terms of small hydro in developing countries.