A study examines sustainability of hydropower in the face of a changing climate. Hydropower represents up to 71% of the world's renewable energy. Emilio Moran and colleagues suggest that large dams are not sustainable and that alternatives that address environmental and social concerns are required. In addition to disrupting river ecosystems, large dams have a limited lifespan. Even as dams built in North America and Europe in the 1950s are being removed, new projects continue to be launched in many developing countries. The authors note that with reduced water volume associated with climate change, the dams are unlikely to produce the energy for which they were designed and that the dams themselves contribute to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases from decomposition of flooded forests. Further, the authors note, large dam projects often disrupt the lives of displaced populations, who rarely receive sufficient compensation or benefits. The authors report the development of in-stream turbine technology that protects fish and prioritizes energy delivery to local communities. According to the authors, such off-grid microscale hydropower could be an integral part of a large sustainable energy generation portfolio when combined with solar, wind, and biomass energy production.
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Article #18-09426: "Sustainable hydropower in the 21st century," by Emilio F. Moran, Maria Claudia Lopez, Nathan Moore, Norbert Müller, and David Hyndman.
MEDIA CONTACT: Emilio F. Moran, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; tel: 812-855-6181; e-mail: < moranef@msu.edu >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences