Ecological Environment Protection in Chinese Rural Hydropower Development Practices: A Review

Tang, Xianqiang; Li, Qingyun; Wu, Min; Tang, Wen-jian; Jin, Feng; Haynes, Jonathan; Scholz, Miklas

doi:10.1007/s11270-012-1086-8

Cited by 28 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, because SHPs have a diversity of operation modes (eg diversion and non-diversion with or without storage), flow control structures, and environmental impacts (Panel 1), this definition is ambiguous. Political and economic incentives for sustainable energy development initially fueled the growth of SHPs, particularly in Europe and China (Paish 2002;Tang et al 2012), but now countries across the world consider SHPs to be a critical component of future energy strategies. For instance, more than half of US states have renewable portfolio standards that disallow electricity from LHPs, yet they embrace power produced from SHPs (Kao et al 2014), due in part to a perception that "smaller" equates to lower socioecological impact (Gleick 1992).…”

Section: Thiago Ba Couto* and Julian D Oldenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Distinct geographic patterns in SHP numbers are apparent, reflecting differences in socioeconomic conditions, varying regulations and incentives, and contrasting hydrologic potential. China is the global frontrunner, with 47,073 SHPs currently operating; the surge was propelled by private investments, technology leadership, and rural electrification programs (Tang et al 2012;WSHPDR 2016). An additional 26,877 SHPs are operating in Europe, where SHP development not only has a long history but has also received recent attention associated with the need to satisfy international agreements promoting clean energy (Paish 2002;Hermoso 2017).…”

Section: Figure 1 Schematic Depicting the Primary Classification Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although representing the vast majority of hydropower plants, SHPs contribute just 11% of the global electricity generation capacity based on hydropower (WebPanel 1). SHPs are proliferating around the world ( Figure 3b; WebPanel 1; IRENA 2017) as a response to governmental incentives in the form of competitive tariffs, as well as investments by the private sector (ie trading energy with the grid or providing lower-cost energy for local industries), programs promoting rural electrification in remote regions, simplified licensing processes, and quick construction time (Egré and Milewski 2002;Tang et al 2012;WSHPDR 2016). For example, aggressive policies in several European countries have encouraged rapid sector development since the 1980s (Paish 2002;Jesus et al 2004).…”

Section: Figure 1 Schematic Depicting the Primary Classification Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Political and economic incentives for sustainable energy development initially fueled the growth of SHPs, particularly in Europe and China (Paish ; Tang et al . ), but now countries across the world consider SHPs to be a critical component of future energy strategies. For instance, more than half of US states have renewable portfolio standards that disallow electricity from LHPs, yet they embrace power produced from SHPs (Kao et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy

Couto

Olden

2018

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

306

227

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Large‐scale electricity policies that embrace renewable resources have led to continued investments in hydropower. Despite evolving viewpoints regarding the sustainability of large hydropower installations, there has been a major increase in support for the widespread development of small hydropower plants (SHPs). A global synthesis reveals that 82,891 SHPs are operating or are under construction (11 SHPs for every one large hydropower plant) and that this number is estimated to triple if all potential generation capacity were to be developed. Fueled by considerable political and economic incentives in recent decades, the growth of SHPs has greatly outpaced available ecological science. We provide evidence for not only the lack of scientifically informed oversight of SHP development but also the limitations of the capacity‐based regulations currently in use. The potential indiscriminate expansion of SHPs under the pretense of promoting sustainable energy is concerning, and we identify several important steps to help ensure new scientific advances, effective management, and policy reform in the future.

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Section: Thiago Ba Couto* and Julian D Oldenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Schematic Depicting the Primary Classification Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 1 Schematic Depicting the Primary Classification Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy

Couto

Olden

2018

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

306

227

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“…Hydropower continues to grow worldwide, especially in developing countries, such as China [2]. However, large-scale hydropower development and construction has also brought controversies [3][4][5][6][7], such as the effects on the water environment and the changes to the river hydrological, including runoff, flood peak flow, water temperature [8]; effects on the ecological environment, such as migratory fish breeding [9], environmental flow [10], and ecological compensation [11][12][13]; effects on the social environment, such as immigration issues and land occupation issues [14]. In addition, the risk and the environmental impact of dam break are not negligible [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cumulative Environmental Effects of Hydropower Stations Based on the Water Footprint Method—Yalong River Basin, China

Jia

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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The construction of hydropower stations is not without controversy as they have a certain degree of impact on the ecological environment. Moreover, the water footprint and its cumulative effects on the environment (The relationship between the degree of hydropower development and utilization in the basin and the environment) of the development and utilization of cascade hydropower stations are incompletely understood. In this paper, we calculate the evaporated water footprint (EWF, water evaporated from reservoirs) and the product water footprint of hydropower stations (PWF, water consumption per unit of electricity production), and the blue water scarcity (BWS, the ratio of the total blue water footprint to blue water availability) based on data from 19 selected hydropower stations in the Yalong River Basin, China. Results show that: (a) the EWFs in established, ongoing, proposed, and planning phases of 19 hydropower stations are 243, 123, 59, and 42 Mm 3 , respectively; (b) the PWF of 19 hydropower stations varies between 0.01 and 4.49 m 3 GJ −1 , and the average PWF is 1.20 m 3 GJ −1 . These values are quite small when compared with hydropower stations in other basins in the world, and the difference in PWF among different hydropower stations is mainly derived from energy efficiency factor; (c) all the BWS in the Yalong River Basin are below 100% (low blue water scarcity), in which the total blue water footprint is less than 20% of the natural flow, and environmental flow requirements are met. From the perspective of the water footprint method, the cumulative environmental effects of hydropower development and utilization in the Yalong River Basin will not affect the local environmental flow requirements.

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Surface water–groundwater interactions of Xiluodu Reservoir based on the dynamic evolution of seepage, temperature, and hydrochemistry due to impoundment

Zhou

Hui

et al. 2021

Hydrological Processes

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Reservoir construction greatly affects the regional ecological environment, particularly surface water-groundwater interactions around the reservoir. Xiluodu Reservoir, a representative large-scale reservoir in China, has had substantial impacts on surface water-groundwater interactions at the dam site since impoundment. This study analysed the dynamic characteristics of surface water-groundwater level, temperature, and hydrochemistry to determine the evolution of surface water-groundwater interaction before and after the impoundment. The levels of groundwater and some surface water rose by more than 100 m after impoundment and the water level of saturated limestone gradually stabilized, whereas basalt saturation in the affected area continued to expand. The groundwater temperature did not decrease significantly, whereas the hydrochemical types and ion contents of both surface water and groundwater experienced significant changes. Calculation of the saturation index indicated spatiotemporal changes in the saturation state of minerals. The replenishment source of each type of water and their mutual relationships were determined using cluster analysis and isotope characteristics. The results confirmed continuous, significant, and variable surface water-groundwater interactions at the dam site, which were partially reversed after impoundment. Changes in surface watergroundwater interactions were due to impoundment, the impact of which decreases with distance from the dam, as well as the unique geological conditions and artificial construction.

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Ecological Environment Protection in Chinese Rural Hydropower Development Practices: A Review

Cited by 28 publications

References 21 publications

Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy

Global proliferation of small hydropower plants – science and policy

Cumulative Environmental Effects of Hydropower Stations Based on the Water Footprint Method—Yalong River Basin, China

Surface water–groundwater interactions of Xiluodu Reservoir based on the dynamic evolution of seepage, temperature, and hydrochemistry due to impoundment

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