Future impacts of river flow on hydropower generation in Great Britain
Golgojan, Ana-Diana and White, Christopher J. and Bertram, Douglas (2024) Future impacts of river flow on hydropower generation in Great Britain. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 15 (9). pp. 4840-4861. ISSN 2040-2244 (https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2024.355)
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Abstract
Climate change is likely to alter Great Britain's water resource availability for hydropower generation. This affects hydropower production due to uncertainty around the timing and magnitude of water availability, particularly run of river (RoR) schemes that lack the storage capacity to buffer seasonal flow variability. This study examines the likely future changes on RoR potential at locations across GB using the enhanced future flows (eFLaG) dataset. Results show that annual river flows are projected to increase in winter and spring but reduce in summer and autumn. This has an impact on RoR potential with a projected decrease in the near (2030–2059) and far future (2050–2079) for both summer (−19%, −32%) and autumn (−11%, −19%) throughout GB. Therefore, results indicate a decrease in the annual RoR potential in GB. This study underscores the importance of incorporating climate change considerations in the planning and operation of RoR schemes to ensure sustainable energy generation. This could be achieved by upgrading existing turbines to handle higher flows or designing new turbines capable of accommodating larger discharges to fully utilise the increased flows during winter. However, this should be done with consideration of the technical limitations and the opportunities for optimisations for system generation.
ORCID iDs
Golgojan, Ana-Diana ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1800-2293, White, Christopher J. and Bertram, Douglas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4291-5842;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 90199 Dates: DateEvent1 September 2024Published31 July 2024Published Online22 July 2024AcceptedSubjects: Technology > Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering > Production of electric energy or power
Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > Physical geography > Hydrology. WaterDepartment: Faculty of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 12 Aug 2024 10:52 Last modified: 10 Oct 2024 07:09 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/90199