Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Hydropower Production

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2018) | Viewed by 38962

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Pedro F. A. Manso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: dams and hydraulic structures; hydropower (large/small/pumped-storage); hydrology and water resources; hydraulic modelling; rock scour; sediment management; air-water-rock interaction; fluid-structure/interface interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydropower is the most globally-spread renewable energy source, as well as the one with the largest share in the electricity global mix. The related infrastructure is deployed globally, and has been in technological development since the late 19th century. Its relevant role on anthropic activities, its impacts on human societies and on the natural environment is obviously not consensual. For sovereignty and/or social-economic development reasons, societies have been willing to invest significant shares of their resources, both natural and cultural, to deploy hydropower. External judgment on past and present choices is often controversial.

The focus of this Special Issue is on the compromise that must be sought between the benefits of hydropower infrastructure in terms of electricity generation, protection from water related hazards and of human development, and on the other hand, their footprint in terms of territory, ecological and human values. In developed regions, ageing infrastructure is not perennial, and its role is being revised according to changing legal, market, and climate conditions and today’s societal valuation of ecological values. In developing regions, lost time in infrastructure implementation is seen as worse than poorly complying, or being average, with respect to known best practices. Public authorities, international institutions, engaged stakeholders and common citizens have to make choices and find compromises with decades-long, if not century-long implications, which makes this issue an object of passionate debate.

The scope of the target publications should be on solutions that are being developed or have been found and implemented, as well as their monitoring, to address the abovementioned dilemma, faced by stakeholders in the water and energy sectors. We are interested to learn your experiences in finding new agreements between utility, security and ecology, in different geographies. Ideally, you could provide tangible evidence on how, in different contexts, the need for development of local societies is being equated with the lessons learned and the transfer of practices across the globe. No solution fits all cases and, therefore, research should help in establishing objective methodologies to monitor the footprint and performance of infrastructure, and assist in finding trade-off relationships between the multiple uses and needs related with water and territory. Last, but not the least, the (long) time scale of analysis and impacts merits guaranteeing the availability, quality and accessibility of hydrometric and other relevant hydropower data, which should be explicitly mentioned and discussed in the submitted contributions.

We welcome contributions on:

Mitigation of hydropower footprint, in terms of hydropeaking attenuation, fish migration, sediment routing across watersheds, variable ecological flow and greenhouse gas balance of reservoirs and power plants;
The role of hydropower storage reservoirs and pumping stations in facilitating the integration of larger shares of intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind;
Balancing the positive and negative impacts of hydropower infrastructure in remote regions;
Energy recovery by hydropower within existing infrastructure (e.g., urban, industrial, transport)
The challenges and opportunities faced by hydropower under changing climate conditions.
The role of hydrometric data in territory and infrastructure policy making and management, as well as on sustainability assessment methodologies for well-informed decisions;
Transgenerational repartition of investment costs, social benefits and ecological footprint.
Other, related with hydropower production in its different topologies, operation modes, economic roles, social impacts, ecological trade-offs, heritages, asset values, risks and benefits.

Dr. Pedro F. A. Manso
Guest Editor

References:

[1] International Hydropower Association - IHA (2010), Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol. Available online: http://www.hydrosustainability.org/Hydropower-Sustainablility-Assessment-Protocol/Documents.aspx (access on 25 August 2017).

[2] Manso, P.; Schleiss, A.; Stähli, M.; Avellan, F. Electricity supply and hydropower development in Switzerland. The Int. Journal of Hydropower and Dams 2016, 23, 41–47.

[3] Schaefli, B. Projecting hydropower production under future climates: a guide for decision‐makers and modelers to interpret and design climate change impact assessments. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water 2015, 2, 271–289.

[4] Bousquet, C.; Samora, I.; Manso, P.A.; Rossi, L.; Heller, P.; Schleiss, A. J. Assessment of hydropower potential in wastewater systems and application to Switzerland. Renewable Energy 2017, 113, 64–73, DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.05.062

[5] Samora, I.; Manso, P.; Franca, M.J.; Schleiss, A.J.; Ramos, H.M. Opportunity and economic feasibility of inline micro hydropower units in water supply networks. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management 2016. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0000700.

[6] Gurung A.B.; Borsdorf, A.; Füreder, L.; Kienast, F; Matt, P.; Scheidegger, C.; Schmocker, L.; Zappa, M.; Volkart, L. Rethinking pumped storage hydropower in the european alps. Mountain Research and Development 2016, 36, 222–232.

[7] Winemiller, K.O.; Mclntyre, P.B.; Castello, E.; Fluet-Chouinard, E.; Giarrizzo, T.; Nam, S.; Baird, I.G.; Darwall, W.; Lujan, N.K.; Harrison, I.; et al. Balancing hydropower and biodiversity in the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong. Science 2016, 351, 128–129.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

water-related nexus utility-security-ecology
renewable electricity
energy recovery
energy storage
sediment balance
fish migration
hydropeaking
greenhouse gas balance
UN SD Goals

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

20 pages, 931 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Corporate Social Responsibility of Hydropower Companies in Alpine Regions—Theory and Policy Recommendations

by Werner Hediger

Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3594; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103594 - 09 Oct 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4036

Abstract

Hydropower activities must increasingly be evaluated from a sustainable development perspective. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the principle frequently applied to evaluate corporate contributions in this regard, though there exists no conceptual and theoretical basis that is common to the various approaches. With the present work, we fill this gap and provide a generic model that formally integrates the corporate and societal perspectives of hydropower activities within a welfare-economic framework that encompasses both externalities and distributional concerns. Building on this background and focusing on the current situation in Switzerland, the water tower of Western Europe, we particularly address the issues of water rights, resource rents and governance. This is crucial when analyzing investment projects of hydropower companies with shared private and public ownership; i.e., if external stakeholders are also sensitive shareholders who grant, at the same time, the company the right to operate. Altogether, this contribution shall support better informed decision making on both corporate and policy levels, especially regarding new and retrofitting investments in hydropower when social concerns are at stake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 8304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Continuous Seasonal and Large-Scale Periglacial Reservoir Sedimentation

by Daniel Ehrbar, Lukas Schmocker, Michael Doering, Marco Cortesi, Gérald Bourban, Robert M. Boes and David F. Vetsch

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3265; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093265 - 12 Sep 2018

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3567

Abstract

Sustainable reservoir use is globally threatened by sedimentation. It has been generally recognized that inadequate consideration of reservoir sedimentation has caused the worldwide decline of net storage. Numerical models are useful tools to simulate sedimentation processes and can be used to derive efficient counter-measures and sediment management strategies. They can be applied to both existing and potential future reservoirs to predict long-term sedimentation. In this study, an application of a simple, robust, and stable numerical 1D model to Gebidem reservoir in Switzerland accompanied by field measurements is presented. It focusses on seasonal and large-scale reservoir sedimentation processes that occur continuously throughout the whole deposition season, while episodic events like turbidity currents are not taken into account. The model simulates both the delta formation of coarse sediments and the lake-wide sedimentation from homopycnal flows. The model is used to assess the effects and significance of varying boundary conditions like inflow, suspended sediment concentration, particle size distribution (PSD), or reservoir operation. It will be demonstrated that future reservoir operation and PSD are as important as future runoff evolution. Based on these findings, implications on future reservoir operation, also considering climate change, are discussed. Finally, an outlook on pending research topics is given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1733 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydropower Potential in the Periglacial Environment of Switzerland under Climate Change

by Daniel Ehrbar, Lukas Schmocker, David F. Vetsch and Robert M. Boes

Sustainability 2018, 10(8), 2794; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082794 - 07 Aug 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5873

Abstract

Hydropower is the most important domestic source of renewable energy in Switzerland. Many reservoirs are located in the periglacial environment of the Swiss Alps. Climate change and the changeover to a new energy system will challenge the existing infrastructure, but will also provide perspectives for new hydropower plants (HPPs). This study presents a framework for the systematic analysis of the hydropower potential of the periglacial Swiss Alps. The results are referenced to the Swiss Energy Strategy and other potential courses of action, such as upgrade of existing infrastructure. An evaluation matrix with 16 economical, environmental and social criteria for the consistent rating of all feasible sites is proposed. All criteria and their ratings are explained. It is demonstrated that the chosen methodology leads to a relatively stable ranking even for significantly different weighting models. Although being affected by uncertainties and remaining challenges, the methodology and results are sufficiently detailed for decision-making. Therefore, recommendations for future hydropower investments can be given. The results are strongly linked to Swiss boundary conditions, but the methodology itself is generally applicable for all glaciers worldwide, if the required input data are available. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 3243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Climate Change on Swiss Hydropower

by Jonas Savelsberg, Moritz Schillinger, Ingmar Schlecht and Hannes Weigt

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2541; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072541 - 19 Jul 2018

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 7556

Abstract

Hydropower represents an important pillar of electricity systems in many countries. It not only plays an important role in mitigating climate change, but is also subject to climate-change impacts. In this paper, we use the Swiss electricity market model Swissmod to study the effects of changes in water availability due to climate change on Swiss hydropower. Swissmod is an electricity dispatch model with a plant-level representation of 96% of Swiss hydropower plants and their interrelations within cascade structures. Using this detailed model in combination with spatially disaggregated climate-change runoff projections for Switzerland, we show that climate change has ambiguous impacts on hydropower and on the overall electricity system. Electricity prices and overall system costs increase under dry conditions and decrease under average or wet conditions. While the change of seasonal patterns, with a shift to higher winter runoff, has positive impacts, the overall yearly inflow varies under hydrological conditions. While average and wet years yield an increase in inflows and revenues, dry years become drier, resulting in the opposite effect. Even though different in magnitude, the direction of impacts persists when applying the same changes in inflows to the 2050 electricity system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 9720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Floating Away: The Impact of Hydroelectric Power Stations on Tourists’ Experience in Iceland

by Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir and C. Michael Hall

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2315; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072315 - 04 Jul 2018

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5447

Abstract

It is of vital importance that nature-based tourist destinations maintain their natural resources in a sustainable way. Nature and wilderness are the main attractions for tourism in Iceland. The Central Highlands are uninhabited with little visible evidence of human influence except for some huts, gravel roads, and a small number of hydroelectric power plants. However, there are plans for further hydroelectric power development in the area. The Blanda Power Station was constructed in 1991 at the edge of the North Central Highlands. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted among tourists in the area in the summer of 2016 with a total of 1078 answered questionnaires. The objective was to estimate the impact of the power station on the experience of tourists and to assess whether their attitude differs from that of tourists in locations where power plant construction has been proposed. The results show that the power plant infrastructure at Blanda, with the exception of transmission lines, does not seem to disturb the experience of the majority of tourists. Tourists at Blanda are also more positive towards power plants than at locations where there are no power plants but where they have been proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1906 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Lake–Reservoir Pumped-Storage Operations on Temperature and Water Quality

by Ulrike Gabriele Kobler, Alfred Wüest and Martin Schmid

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1968; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061968 - 12 Jun 2018

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5210

Abstract

Pumped-storage (PS) hydropower plants are expected to make an important contribution to energy storage in the next decades with growing market shares of new renewable electricity. PS operations affect the water quality of the connected water bodies by exchanging water between them but also by deep water withdrawal from the upper water body. Here, we assess the importance of these two processes in the context of recommissioning a PS hydropower plant by simulating different scenarios with the numerical hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2. For extended PS operations, the results show significant impacts of the water exchange between the two water bodies on the seasonal dynamics of temperatures, stratification, nutrients, and ice cover, especially in the smaller upper reservoir. Deep water withdrawal was shown to strongly decrease the strength of summer stratification in the upper reservoir, shortening its duration by ~1.5 months, consequently improving oxygen availability, and reducing the accumulation of nutrients in the hypolimnion. These findings highlight the importance of assessing the effects of different options for water withdrawal depths in the design of PS hydropower plants, as well as the relevance of defining a reference state when a PS facility is to be recommissioned. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

12 pages, 5092 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Environmental Restoration in Hydropower Development—Lessons from Norway

by Inger Auestad, Yngve Nilsen and Knut Rydgren

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 3358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093358 - 19 Sep 2018

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6506

Abstract

Hydropower is expanding globally and is regarded a key measure for mitigating climate change, but it also results in major environmental degradation, both at local scale and more widely. We can learn lessons about how restoration can be used to alleviate these problems from failures and successes in countries with a long history of hydropower development, such as Norway. Here, hydropower projects grew larger over time, and in the 1960s, the emerging environmentalist movement started to challenge hydropower developments because of their negative impacts on the environment. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate then appointed a landscape architect who became very influential, particularly due to his skills in aesthetics and photo documentation. He developed principles for designing self-sustaining environments which he called “living nature”, and in particular proposed methods of restoring barren, unattractive, alpine spoil heaps. Later, restoration methods and goals have changed in response to new insights and the changing goals of ecological restoration. Here, we present current best practice for the alpine biome and sum up general lessons in three points: restoration can represent a sustainable, ‘third way’ in the conflict between conservation and development; including a wider group of professionals may improve restoration goals and methods, and effective use of visual communication can be a good way of gaining support for new restoration principles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower Production)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Hydropower Production

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI