Author(s): Franz Greimel; Jurgen Neubarth; Bernhard Zeiringer; Daniel S. Hayes; Melanie Haslauer; Simon Fuhrer; Stefan Auer; Norbert Holler; Christoph Hauer; Patrick Holzapfel; Martin Fuhrmann; Markus Pfleger; Peter Matt; Veronika Koller-Kreimel; Stefan Schmutz
Linked Author(s): Christoph Hauer
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The EU Water Framework Directive set environmental targets for all water bodies, which must be achieved till2027 at the latest. To generate and use hydropower sustainably and to mitigate climate change, it is necessary to face the challenge of how to achieve the environmental objectives without significantly impacting hydropower use. This is especially relevant for the production of flexible electricity and the selection of appropriate measures to mitigate adverse environmental hydropeaking effects. To identify reasonable and efficient solutions, it is required to develop clear decision procedures and conduct an analysis of economic as well as environmental data to understand the multidimensional underlying interactive effects. For this study, scientists, hydropower plant operators and river basin management authorities cooperated in joint projects to assess the effects of hydropeaking mitigation measures on different levels. This study presents a tool which provides an evaluation methodology for an integrative assessment of the ecological impacts of hydropeaking mitigation measures and their consequences for the use of hydropower. We identified the potential impacts on the electricity system, their macroeconomic consequences as well as their impacts on business economy level. Based on this first step, we designed specific combinations of mitigation measures and analyzed their outcomes. Here, we present this novel integrative approach and describe the effects of mitigation measures for ecology, flexible energy production capacity, and CO production.
Year: 2018