Water-energy-ecosystem nexus: Balancing competing interests at a run-of-river hydropower plant coupling a hydrologic–ecohydraulic approach

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

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113267

Cited by 244 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Although the SDGs are broadly conceptualized to ensure economic, social, and environmental sustainability, this study explores the environmental impacts of the transition from nonrenewable to renewable energy resources explicitly. As opposed to the combustion of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energy resources to generate electricity, especially hydroelectricity, is asserted to reduce human ecological needs [9,10]. Accordingly, renewable energy adoption can be considered an effective means of inhibiting human activity-induced environmental hardships.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewable Energy Use and Ecological Footprints Mitigation: Evidence from Selected South Asian Economies

et al. 2021

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Fossil fuel-dependency has induced a trade-off between economic growth and environmental degradation across the developing nations in particular. Against this backdrop, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of renewable energy use on the ecological footprints in the context of four South Asian fossil fuel-dependent nations: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The econometric analysis involves the use of recently developed methods that account for cross-sectional dependency, slope heterogeneity, and structural break issues in the data. The results reveal that renewable energy consumption reduces the ecological footprints while nonrenewable energy use boosts the ecological footprints. The results also confirm the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve and pollution haven hypotheses for the panel of the South Asian nations. Besides, foreign direct investment inflows are found to degrade the environment while higher institutional quality improves it. Furthermore, unidirectional causalities are run from overall energy use, economic growth, and institutional quality to ecological footprints. At the same time, bidirectional associations between foreign direct investment inflows and ecological footprints are also ascertained. The overall findings highlight the pertinence of reducing fossil fuel-dependency, enhancing economic growth, restricting dirty foreign direct investment inflows, and improving institutional quality to ensure environmental sustainability across South Asia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewable Energy Use and Ecological Footprints Mitigation: Evidence from Selected South Asian Economies

et al. 2021

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“…The FDC is useful to evaluate the relationship between magnitude and frequency of the river flow; however, it does not maintain temporal sequences of flows and so is unsuccessful in meeting the criteria of the timing or duration of the e-flows [63]. Nevertheless, as recommend by Kuriqi et al [9,49], to guarantee suitable habitat conditions during low flow periods, AMD and 30%Q-D should be combined with other methods by setting a minimum of e-flows to be released downstream of the water intake. The results of this case study are aligned with the recommendations of the investigations above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several hydropower plants are under construction or planned to be constructed, which will modify the rivers' natural flow regime either river. Whereas, habitat simulation assumes an "optimal" flow in the river, sustaining the river ecology in balance [9,19]. Holistic methods are more comprehensive methods with environmental flows designed to mimic the natural hydrograph [20].…”

Section: Overview Of E-flow Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Flows Assessment in Nepal: The Case of Kaligandaki River

et al. 2020

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Environmental flow assessments (e-flows) are relatively new practices, especially in developing countries such as Nepal. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the influence of hydrologically based e-flow methods in the natural flow regime. The study used different hydrological-based methods, namely, the Global Environmental Flow Calculator, the Tennant method, the flow duration curve method, the dynamic method, the mean annual flow method, and the annual distribution method to allocate e-flows in the Kaligandaki River. The most common practice for setting e-flows consists of allocating a specific percentage of mean annual flow or portion of flow derived from specific percentiles of the flow duration curve. However, e-flow releases should mimic the river’s intra-annual variability to meet the specific ecological function at different river trophic levels and in different periods over a year covering biotas life stages. The suitability of the methods was analyzed using the Indicators of Hydrological Alterations and e-flows components. The annual distribution method and the 30%Q-D (30% of daily discharge) methods showed a low alteration at the five global indexes for each group of Indicators of Hydrological Alterations and e-flows components, which allowed us to conclude that these methods are superior to the other methods. Hence, the study results concluded that 30%Q-D and annual distribution methods are more suitable for the e-flows implementation to meet the riverine ecosystem’s annual dynamic demand to maintain the river’s health. This case study can be used as a guideline to allocate e-flows in the Kaligandaki River, particularly for small hydropower plants.

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“…Hydropower that is derived from the energy of flowing water is a renewable and sustainable energy source which plays an indispensable role in the global electricity grid system [18], because of the importance of developing renewable energy sources to achieve sustainability goals. The development of large hydropower plants is closely connected with high economic, environmental, and social costs despite evolving viewpoints concerning the sustainability of large hydropower installations [19,20]. Moreover, many scholars have conducted numerous studies related to environmental flows [21][22][23] and energy-ecosystem regulation for sustainable hydropower stations [20], and these findings have contributed to an understanding of the importance of a riverine ecosystem and have helped to provide a basis for renewable energy sources development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The development of large hydropower plants is closely connected with high economic, environmental, and social costs despite evolving viewpoints concerning the sustainability of large hydropower installations [19,20]. Moreover, many scholars have conducted numerous studies related to environmental flows [21][22][23] and energy-ecosystem regulation for sustainable hydropower stations [20], and these findings have contributed to an understanding of the importance of a riverine ecosystem and have helped to provide a basis for renewable energy sources development. Nevertheless, the operation of a hydropower station is associated with alterations of a riverine ecosystem and it is also connected to the navigation conditions for ships which transport cargoes from cities to remote regions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Unsteady Flow Induced by a Large-Scale Hydropower Station on the Water Level Fluctuation of Multi-Approach Channels: A Case Study of the Three Gorges Project, China

Wan

Wang

et al. 2020

Water

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Unsteady flow induced by hydropower stations exerts a significant impact on the water level in multi-approach channels, which directly threatens the safe passage of ships. In this study, a one-dimensional and a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model are adopted to simulate the water level fluctuations at the entrance of multi-approach channels and the lower lock head of a ship lift with consideration of initial water surface elevation, base flow, flow amplitude, regulation time, and locations of hydropower stations, unfavorable conditions are successfully identified; and the fluctuations at the approach channel entrance and the lower lock head of a ship lift under single-peak and double-peak regulating mode are analyzed considering the flow regulating of the Gezhouba Hydropower Station (GHS), thus, the water level oscillation process in the multi-approach channels is presented. Results show that the largest wave amplitude in the multi-approach channels manifests under unfavorable conditions including lower initial water surface elevation, smaller base flow, larger flow variation, and shorter regulation time; and water level fluctuation in the multi-approach channel is primarily induced by flow amplitude and net flow between the Three Gorges Hydropower Station (TGHS) and the GHS, with consideration of the counter-regulation process of the GHS. This research contributes to providing a reference for a similar large-scale cascade hydropower station regarding regulation and control of navigation conditions.

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Water-energy-ecosystem nexus: Balancing competing interests at a run-of-river hydropower plant coupling a hydrologic–ecohydraulic approach

Cited by 244 publications

References 48 publications

Renewable Energy Use and Ecological Footprints Mitigation: Evidence from Selected South Asian Economies

Renewable Energy Use and Ecological Footprints Mitigation: Evidence from Selected South Asian Economies

Environmental Flows Assessment in Nepal: The Case of Kaligandaki River

Influence of Unsteady Flow Induced by a Large-Scale Hydropower Station on the Water Level Fluctuation of Multi-Approach Channels: A Case Study of the Three Gorges Project, China

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