Ecological impacts of run-of-river hydropower plants—Current status and future prospects on the brink of energy transition

Kuriqi, Alban; Pinheiro, António N.; Sordo‐Ward, Álvaro; Bejarano, María Dolores; Garrote, Luís

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2021.110833

Cited by 349 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 206 publications

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“…Yin proposed measures to improve the ecological environmental protection of water resources system combining the basin and region as well as proposals to accelerate the ecological monitoring system of water and to strengthen the ecological environmental protection of water resources in key areas [13]. Fluvial ecosystems possess great capacity for providing food and shelter for fish and many other aquatic species and offer a board range of ecosystem services that directly affect human well-being [14]. Excessive water resource exploitation might profoundly impair the integrity of the fluvial ecosystems [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, preliminary research progress has also been made on the early warning mechanism of forest ecological security [17] and the relationship between the economic industry and forest ecology [18]. The most commonly reported ecological impacts are flow regime alteration, water depletion in the bypass reach, loss of longitudinal connectivity, fish injuries, habitat degradation and the simplification of the composition of fish/macroinvertebrate communities [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation Analysis of Forest Ecological Security in 11 Provinces (Cities) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Zhang

Wang

2021

Sustainability

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The forest ecological security of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has an important influence on improving the regional environment and promoting the sustainable development of the social economy. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide countermeasures and suggestions for improving the level of regional ecological security by quantitatively analyzing the forest ecological security status of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the tributaries of the Yangtze River. Using three main aspects, i.e., resources, socio-economic pressure and maintenance response, the study established 26 indicators that affect the forest ecological security of 11 provinces (cities) in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The index weights were determined by principal component analysis, and the forest ecological security levels of 11 provinces (cities) in the Yangtze River Economic Belt were classified and evaluated by the grey clustering method. The results show the following: (1) the principal component analysis determined the weight of the three aspect indicators. The order is as follows: resource index > socio-economic pressure index > maintenance response index. This means that the basic environmental condition which the forest growth depends on and quality and quantity of forest is most important, and the maintenance activities performed by human beings in forest resources need to be strengthened. (2) The level of the forest ecological security in all the provinces (cities) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is relatively good, with an upward trend. The level of forest ecological security in each province (city) decreases from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River basin to the lower reaches, and the level of forest ecological security in the central cities is lower. (3) The resource index, socio-economic pressure index and maintenance response index of all the provinces and cities showed an upward trend in these four years. The provinces with a significantly higher forest resource index include Yunnan and Guizhou. Shanghai, Chongqing, Sichuan, Hunan and Jiangxi were the provinces with significantly higher socio-economic pressure values; Yunnan province, Shanghai, Jiangxi Province and Hubei province were the provinces with higher forest maintenance response values.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation Analysis of Forest Ecological Security in 11 Provinces (Cities) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Zhang

Wang

2021

Sustainability

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“…However, hydropower is also associated with a direct intervention in natural ecosystems. In order to prevent negative impacts on biodiversity and the associated habitat degradation, sustainable planning and constant monitoring of these projects are required (Kuriqi et al 2021). The fundamental advantage of mini-grid systems is that they enable faster and more flexible energy supply, especially when combined with additional components such as electricity storage in a hybrid system (Mazzeo et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-economic impacts and challenges associated with the electrification of a remote area in rural Tanzania through a mini-grid system

Falk

Angelmahr

Schade

et al. 2021

Energ. Ecol. Environ.

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Electricity is an indispensable building block for sustainable development. As national and international electrification measures in rural areas of Tanzania are progressing slowly, a solar-powered mini-grid system with second-life battery storage was commissioned on an island in Lake Victoria in 2019 to support local development. This article evaluates the socio-economic impacts associated with electrification through this system. On average, 42.31 kWh of electricity could be provided per day. The daily demand of the main infrastructure (hospital and school) was 18.75 kWh on average. The remaining capacity thus offers enough potential to supply private households and possible economic activities. In order to evaluate the impact of electrification, a qualitative survey was conducted on site 12 months after commissioning, with 7% of the people living there being interviewed. Language barriers as well as intercultural hurdles made the survey difficult and required an adaptation of the on-site implementation. The focus of the survey was on the areas of health, education and economics. The study revealed that the availability of electricity has enormous potential to improve people's living conditions. Initial successes could be seen, especially in the areas of health care and the economic sector. So far, electrification has had no influence on the area of education. While the connections for the main infrastructure have been institutionally supported, the system-related electricity price of €1.30/kWh has proven to be a major obstacle for private households. This is far too high for widespread use compared to incomes. The article thus focuses on the observation that full socio-economic development through electrification can only succeed if local people can afford it. Possibilities to solve this problem are analysed. Since the energy is generated on the basis of renewable resources, the analysis focuses on the use of mechanisms of the emissions trading system (ETS). The aim is to generate revenue through the sale of certified emission reductions (CERs) for the saved CO2 emissions and thus reduce the electricity price. A reference scenario of conventional energy production forms the basis for discussion of the effectiveness of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Carbon Initiative for Development (Ci-Dev). In addition, the approach of a monthly free quota of electricity, the free basic electricity initiative (FBE), is included in the evaluation. Graphical abstract

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“…"Run-of-river" dams are widely considered to generate relatively less negative impacts compared with impoundment dams as the production of energy works with the natural river flow (Gaudard, Avanzi, & De Michele, 2018). Yet, "run-of-river" is not synonymous with small or low impact hydropower operations (Kuriqi et al, 2021), causing loss of longitudinal connectivity, habitat degradation, and simplification of the biota community, which leads to increasing need for more economically and environmentally sustainable options such as in-stream turbines across Amazonia (Chaudhari et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amazonian run-of-river dam reservoir impacts underestimated: Evidence from a Before-After Control-Impact study of freshwater turtle nesting areas

Bárcenas-García

Michalski

Gibbs

et al. 2021

Preprint

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1. Although the construction of hydropower dams is widely assumed to generate myriad negative impacts on biodiversity there remains a lack of robust scientific evidence documenting the magnitude of these impacts particularly across highly biodiverse tropical waterways. Hydropower expansion is an increasing threat to the Endangered yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) across its tropical South American range. 2. Turtle nesting-areas were monitored as an indicator of dry-season river level changes following run-of-river dam reservoir filling. A Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design was established with multi-year field campaigns monitoring turtle nesting-areas along 66 km of river upstream of the dam, separated into 33 km control and impact zones. 3. The cause and extent of changes in nesting-areas was established using Generalized Additive Models. Nesting-area density was examined in relation to four variables: Before-After, Control-Impact, distance to the dam and precipitation. The extent of changes was examined by comparing the proportion of nesting-areas remaining in subzones during the four years after reservoir filling. 4. Comparison of the proportion of nesting-areas remaining after dam construction showed that a permanent dry season river level rise extended more than 20 km beyond impact assessment limits. On average the density of nesting-areas declined 69% (from 0.48 to 0.15 per km) across 33 km of river directly impacted by the dam. This loss was reflected in a significant BACI interaction. The variation in nesting-areas was not explained by seasonal precipitation, whilst nesting-area density increased significantly further away from the dam. 5. Standardized monitoring of freshwater turtle nesting-areas provided an effective means to quantify impacts of hydropower developments across biodiverse yet rapidly changing waterways. The negative impacts should be preventable by mitigation actions including habitat restoration and dry season flow regulation. Such measures are also likely to benefit multiple species in highly diverse Amazonian rivers increasingly impacted by run-of-river dams.

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Ecological impacts of run-of-river hydropower plants—Current status and future prospects on the brink of energy transition

Cited by 349 publications

References 206 publications

Evaluation Analysis of Forest Ecological Security in 11 Provinces (Cities) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Evaluation Analysis of Forest Ecological Security in 11 Provinces (Cities) of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Socio-economic impacts and challenges associated with the electrification of a remote area in rural Tanzania through a mini-grid system

Amazonian run-of-river dam reservoir impacts underestimated: Evidence from a Before-After Control-Impact study of freshwater turtle nesting areas

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