The Power of Rivers, A Business Case: How System-Scale Planning and Management of Hydropower Can Yield Economic, FInancial and Environmental Benefits
System-scale planning for hydropower—Hydropower by Design—delivers economic gains and environmental benefits while reducing social conflict and investment risk. Case studies show improved performance and financial competitiveness through strategic modeling and risk management for sustainable river development.
Subject Tags
- Rivers
- Renewable energy
- Climate mitigation
Abstract
System-scale approaches to planning and managing hydropower—Hydropower by Design (HbD)—can produce significant economic benefits for countries, while reducing environmental impacts, social conflict and investment risk. Through a series of case studies we demonstrate that Hydropower by Design can result in improved environmental performance for similar levels of energy generation, along with economic gains of 5 to more than 100 percent in other important river services. While the strategic planning required to achieve those balanced outcomes has often been equated with delayed implementation or associated with projects that are not financially attractive, we used in-depth financial and energy system modeling to show that the risk-management and engineering optimization benefits of Hydropower by Design can result in projects that are financially competitive, strategic, and low impact.
Citation
Opperman, J., 2017. The Power of Rivers: A Business Case: how System-scale Planning and Management of Hydropower Can Yield Economic, Financial and Environmental Benefits. Nature Conservancy.
Media Contacts
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Carlos Andres Rogeliz Prada
Technical Director, Provide Food and Water
The Nature Conservancy
Email: carlos.rogeliz@tnc.org -
Robin Abell
Durable Freshwater Protection Director, Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters
The Nature Conservancy
Email: robin.abell@tnc.org -
Erik Martin
Geospatial Web Application Developer, North America Office
The Nature Conservancy
Email: emartin@tnc.org