Editor’s choice
Editor’s choice
Hydropower has been promoted as a climate-friendly alternative to meet the world’s growing electricity demand. Globally, hydropower dam construction is expected to reach unprecedented rates in the coming decades, especially in countries with emerging economies. One hotspot for future hydropower expansion is the Amazon, the world’s largest river basin.
However, about 10% of the world’s hydropower facilities emit as much GHGs per unit energy as conventional fossil-fueled power plants.In light of the expected boom in construction of new hydropower dams in the Amazon basin, it is critical to identify whether future dams will produce low-carbon energy.
While hydropower is a potentially clean source of renewable energy, some projects produce high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit electricity generated (carbon intensity). Here the researchers show how carbon intensities of proposed Amazon upland dams are often comparable with solar and wind energy, whereas some lowland dams may exceed carbon intensities of fossil-fuel power plants.
Based on 158 existing and 351 proposed dams, the authors present a multi-objective optimization framework showing that low-carbon expansion of Amazon hydropower relies on strategic planning, which is generally linked to placing dams in higher elevations and smaller streams. Ultimately, basin-scale dam planning that considers GHG emissions along with social and ecological externalities will be decisive for sustainable energy development where new hydropower is contemplated.
Source: Unplash
Journal article / This study examines how the continued development of hydroelectric dams could affect one of the largest wetland systems in South America.
