TITLE:
Integrating Downstream Ecological, Social and Economic Effects of Hydropower to Hydraulic Modeling: A Review
AUTHORS:
J. Bastian Höller, Anders G. Andersson, J. Gunnar I. Hellström
KEYWORDS:
Sustainable Hydropower, Hydraulic Simulation, River Regulation, Down-stream Effects, Integrated Modeling
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Mechanics,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Hydropower
gains increasing importance as a steerable and controllable power source in a
renewable energy mix and deregulated markets. Although hydropower produces
fossil-free energy, it has a significant impact on the local environment. This
review investigates the effects of flow alterations by hydropower on the
downstream river system and the possibilities to integrate these effects into
hydraulic modeling. The results show that various effects of flow regulation on
the ecosystem, but also social and economic effects on related communities were
observed in the last decades. The application of hydraulic models for
investigations of ecological effects is common. Especially hydraulic effects
and effects on fish were extensively modeled with the help of hydraulic 1D- and
2D-simulations. Current applications to investigate social and economic effects
integrated into hydraulic modeling are meanwhile limited. Approaches to realizing
this integration are presented. Further research on the economic valuation of
ecosystems and integration of social and economic effects to hydraulic models
is necessary to develop holistic tools to support decision-making on
sustainable hydropower.