| Climate change & hydropower


Apart from determining potential site selection of small hydro in the UAD, the main purpose of this study by Guoqing Yang, Miao Zhang and Geping Luo was to analyse the impact of future climate change on discharge and hydropower potential, thus providing research results to support water resources management and hydropower development in the region. The study comprehensively determined ten potential small hydro sites in the UAD based on hydrological simulation and a geographic information decision- making method. Based on future climate data, modelling found that future precipitation and temperature are projected to increase, with precipitation increasing mainly in spring and winter. The average discharge will increase by 19.1~36.6% in the near-term (2031–2050) and by 29.7~106.8% in the long-term (2071–2090). In addition, there will also be an increased risk of extreme discharge, with a peak flow increase in relatively low altitudes and a base flow increase in relatively high altitude areas. Further development of small hydropower in the


UAD, the study recommends, needs to assess the risk of extreme discharge and melting glaciers, as well as the consideration of the ecological environment, geopolitics and socio-economic factors.


Brazilian storage Recent research in Brazil has demonstrated how


seasonal pumped hydropower storage (SPHAS) can help to mitigate the challenges of climate change. As the authors of a paper published in the Journal of Energy Storage claim, given Brazil’s high hydropower storage capacity and the strong seasonal patterns of its renewable resources, SPHS technology can play a critical role in enabling the country to transition to a more resilient energy system. The study, called Seasonal Pumped Hydropower


Storage Role in Responding to Climate Change Impacts on the Brazilian Electrical Sector by de Assis Brasil Weber et al, highlights the potential benefits of SPHS over conventional hydropower storage. These include reduced GHG emissions, inter-basin transfer, and higher energy storage capacity. The research also demonstrated that the integration of SPHS with other renewable energy sources can significantly reduce CO2 emissions by up to 68% and contribute to achieving a 100% renewable matrix by 2100. However, the authors caution, the additional investment costs associated with SPHS technology need to be taken into account when considering its economic viability, but nonetheless these results are important for decision-makers and policymakers to understand the potential role of SPHS in addressing the challenges faced by the power sector in Brazil and other countries in similar situations.


Warming potential Closed-loop pumped storage hydropower has been


shown to be the smallest emitter of greenhouse gases, and so ranks as having the lowest potential to add to the problem of global warming for energy storage when accounting for the full impacts of materials and construction.


Recent analysis conducted at the US Department


of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was reported in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, and provides previously unknown insight into how closed-loop


www.waterpowermagazine.com | May 2024 | 71


pumped storage hydropower compares to other grid- scale storage technologies. In the paper, “Life Cycle Assessment of Closed- Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower in the United States,” pumped storage is compared against four other technologies: compressed-air energy storage, utility-scale lithium-ion batteries, utility-scale lead-acid batteries, and vanadium redox flow batteries. Pumped storage hydropower and CAES are designed for long- duration storage. The researchers modelled their findings based on 39 preliminary designs from 35 proposed sites in the contiguous US. The average closed-loop pump storage facility was assumed to have storage capacity of 835MW and an average estimated 2060GWh of stored energy delivered annually. The base scenario also assumed the electricity mix would entirely come from renewable technologies. Hydropower offered the lowest global warming


potential on a functional unit basis, followed by lithium-ion batteries, vanadium redox flow batteries, compressed-air energy storage, and utility-scale lead- acid batteries. The research also found that certain decisions can have a substantive impact, such as building on a brownfield rather than a greenfield site can reduce the global warming potential by 20%.


Decarbonising Open Hydro, a leader in modelling, reporting, and


tracking emissions from reservoirs, has secured significant investment to propel its efforts in decarbonising freshwater systems. This infusion of capital marks a pivotal moment for the company as it seeks to help water and electric utilities become leaders in emissions reduction, while supporting their claims for good water quality and clean hydropower electricity. The funds will be instrumental in helping reshape how emissions are managed in freshwater systems globally and in solving the looming problem of methane emissions lurking in electricity production used by the world’s largest corporate energy consumers. Open Hydro said its solution holds significance in accurately representing and accrediting low-carbon electricity production, particularly from renewable sources like hydropower. By modelling, reporting, and accrediting low-carbon electricity production, the company said it empowers hydropower operators to differentiate themselves in the electric market and meet the growing demand for green energy solutions.


References


https://www.eia.gov/ todayinenergy/detail. php?id=61645


ReAdapt - Adapting hydropower to future climate extremes - SINTEF


Climate changes hydropower - SINTEF


Fluctuations of discharge and hydropower potential in the upper Amu Darya under the background of climate change Guoqing Yang, Miao Zhang, Geping Luo, Tie Liu. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies. Volume 51, February 2024, 101615


https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ejrh.2023.101615


Seasonal pumped hydropower storage role in responding to climate change impacts on the Brazilian electrical sector by Natalia de Assis Brasil Weber, Julian David Hunt, Behnam Zakeri, Paulo Smith Schneider, Fernando Sergio Asfor Parente, Augusto Delavald Marques, Amaro Olímpio Pereira Junior. Journal of Energy Storage Volume 87, 15 May 2024, 111249 https://doi.org/10.1016/j. est.2024.111249


Life Cycle Assessment of Closed-Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower in the United States by Timothy R. Simon, Daniel Inman, Rebecca Hanes, Gregory Avery, Dylan Hettinger, and Garvin Heath. Environmental Science & Technology 2023 57 (33), 12251-12258. DOI: 10.1021/acs. est.2c09189


Below: Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant in Michigan, US


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