Dynamics of Electricity Production against the Backdrop of Climate Change: A Case Study of Hydropower Plants in Poland

Kubiak-Wójcicka, Katarzyna; Szczęch, Leszek

doi:10.3390/en14123427

Cited by 10 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The remaining technical resources refer to coastal rivers and small hydropower plants. In comparison to other European countries, this potential is small [54].…”

Section: Rivers' Energetic Potentialmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Water Power Plants Possibilities in Powering Electric Cars—Case Study: Poland

2022

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Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular in Poland and around the world. More and more of them appear on the roads, especially in the centers of large cities. They are perceived and advertised as zero-emission cars, not polluting the environment. However, electric cars, such as cars with combustion engines, need to be “refueled”, so they are charged from the power grid. It is important to say that it depends on what the source of energy is. Unfortunately, in the case of Poland, most of the energy in this network (about 80%) comes from sources using fossil fuels (lignite, hard coal, and natural gas). These are not environmentally friendly energy sources. Despite the use of multi-stage exhaust gas cleaning, toxic compounds and carbon dioxide get into the atmosphere. The situation is stalemate because the more energy is needed to power industry, households and electric cars, the more carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere. This paper will demonstrate that the use of the term “green vehicle” in reference to electric automotive vehicles may be a misuse of the term, because if the local conditions of toxic emissions binding for vehicles with combustion engines had been taken into account during type-approval tests of such vehicles, electric vehicles would never have been put into service, not only in towns but everywhere else, too. Calculations show that carbon dioxide (201.2 g), nitrogen oxides (0.166 g), and particulate matters (0.0095 g) emitted by electropower plants are almost twice as large per 100 km than emitted by diesel engine. The solution to this situation is only an increased investment in the power industry based on renewable energy sources (RES). Currently, photovoltaic and wind power plants are experiencing rapid development in Poland, but they produce energy in an unpredictable way, and moreover, they need huge areas to build high-power installations. Much more stable sources of energy are hydroelectric power plants, which are in serious regression in Poland. Planned investments are constantly postponed. Yet, even in the lower Vistula cascade, already planned in the middle of the last century, there is a potential which, if used, would make it possible to ensure clean energy for powering electric vehicles for several dozen years to come. The authors wanted to pay attention to the need to introduce sustainable diversification of energy sources which, following the increase of investment in hydropower, would make it possible to plan the development of electromobility in Poland in a more secure way. The launch of the Lower Vistula cascade would eventually enable the zero-emission operation of approximately 1.5 million electric vehicles.

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“…The remaining technical resources refer to coastal rivers and small hydropower plants. In comparison to other European countries, this potential is small [54].…”

Section: Rivers' Energetic Potentialmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Regions with the most favorable conditions for hydropower development are in southern Poland (mountainous areas). The greatest potential among mountain tributaries of the Vistula is the Dunajec River (814 GWh/year), while among the mountain tributaries of the Oder River-the Bóbr River (320 GWh/rok) [53,54].…”

Section: Rivers' Energetic Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Power Plants Possibilities in Powering Electric Cars—Case Study: Poland

2022

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“…Majone et al [73] have also indicated that changes in water availability have an impact on the technical hydropower potential of a river. However, it should be noted that the small amount of electricity produced by hydropower plants may be caused not only by hydrological conditions but also by outdated installations that are incapable of economic use of the existing river energy potential [9]. To develop suitable adaptation strategies, it is important to know how hydrologic conditions change on a regional scale [12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change can affect hydropower production by modifying total discharge and their seasonal variability [8]. Unstable hydrological conditions can reduce the energy production of hydropower plants [1,9]. Long-term droughts covering large regions or even continents are particularly dangerous for the hydropower sector [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directions and Extent of Flows Changes in Warta River Basin (Poland) in the Context of the Efficiency of Run-of-River Hydropower Plants and the Perspectives for Their Future Development

Sojka

2022

Energies

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This paper presents changes in the flow of 14 rivers located in the Warta River basin, recorded from 1951 to 2020. The Warta is the third-longest river in Poland. Unfortunately, the Warta River catchment area is one of the most water-scarce regions. It hosts about 150 hydropower plants with a capacity of up to 5 kW. The catchment areas of the 14 smaller rivers selected for the study differ in location, size, land cover structure and geological structure. The paper is the first study of this type with respect to both the number of analyzed catchments, the length of the sampling series and the number of analyzed flow characteristics in this part of Europe. The analysis of changes in the river flows was performed with reference to low minimum, mean and maximum monthly, seasonal and annual flows. Particular attention was paid to 1, 3, 7, 30 and 90-day low flows and durations of the flows between Q50 and Q90%. In addition, the duration of flows between Q50 and Q90% were analysed. Analysis of the direction and extent of particular flow types was performed by multitemporal analysis using the Mann–Kendall (MK) and Sen (S) tests. The analysis of multiannual flow sequences from the years 1951–2020 showed that the changes varied over the time periods and catchments. The most significant changes occurred in the low flows, while the least significant changes occurred in the high flows. From the point of view of the operation of the hydropower sector, these changes may be unfavourable and result in a reduction in the efficiency of run-of-river hydropower plants. It was established that local factors play a dominant role in the shaping of river flows in both positive and negative terms, for the efficiency of the hydropower plants.

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“…There are 69 reservoirs in Poland with a capacity exceeding 5 million m 3 [63], and a further 31 reservoirs have a capacity of 1 to 5 million m 3 [64], and in total they can collect almost 4 billion m 3 of water, which is only 6% of the average annual runoff of Polish rivers. As a result, the national volume of reservoir retention per capita is only 60 m 3 and it is over 20 times lower than the world average [65].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inventory of Reservoirs of Key Significance for Water Management in Poland—Evaluation of Changes in Their Capacity

et al. 2021

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Dam reservoirs constitute an important element of protection against floods and hydrological droughts, and they ensure the possibility of producing electricity. Loss of reservoirs’ storage capacity has a significant impact on the management of their water resources, including flood protection and counteracting the effects of drought and the possibility of producing electricity. The paper presents changes in the capacity of 47 reservoirs in Poland that have the status of key objects of protection against floods and hydrological drought. Based on the collected, unpublished data, the changes in capacity from the beginning of the reservoirs’ existence to 31 March 2021 were calculated, which allowed us to determine the total amount of lost capacity and the pace of the processes taking place. From the beginning of operation (average operation time 48 years), the capacity has decreased by about 5%, which means that almost 200 million m3 less water is stored. Detailed analyses of the lost capacity also allowed for an illustrative presentation of forecasts for further changes in the short and long term. The results obtained represent a unique contribution to future national strategies for the management of sediment and reservoirs’ flood reserve and reduction of drought. The presentation of this problem seems to be important also in the context of climate change.

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Dynamics of Electricity Production against the Backdrop of Climate Change: A Case Study of Hydropower Plants in Poland

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

Water Power Plants Possibilities in Powering Electric Cars—Case Study: Poland

Water Power Plants Possibilities in Powering Electric Cars—Case Study: Poland

Directions and Extent of Flows Changes in Warta River Basin (Poland) in the Context of the Efficiency of Run-of-River Hydropower Plants and the Perspectives for Their Future Development

Inventory of Reservoirs of Key Significance for Water Management in Poland—Evaluation of Changes in Their Capacity

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