Impacts of using lakes and rivers for extraction and disposal of heat

Abstract

The extraction and disposal of heat from lakes and rivers is a large yet scarcely exploited source of renewable energy, which can partly replace fossil fuel heating and electrical cooling systems. Its use is expected to increase in the near future, which brings attention to the impacts of discharging thermally altered water into aquatic systems. Our review indicates that thermal discharge affects physical and ecological processes, with impacts recorded at all levels of biological organization. Many in situ studies found local effects of thermal discharge (such as attraction or avoidance of mobile organisms), while impacts at the scale of the whole water body were rarely detected. In complex systems, diffuse impacts of thermal discharge are difficult to disentangle from natural variability or other anthropogenic influences. Discharge of warm water in summer is likely to be most critical, especially in the context of climate change. Under this scenario, water temperatures may reach maxima that negatively affect some species. Given the diversity and complexity of the impacts of thermal pollution on aquatic systems, careful planning and judicious management is required when using lakes and rivers for extraction and disposal of heat. We discuss the drivers that influence the severity of potential impacts of such thermal use, and the options available to avoid or mitigate these impacts (such as adapting the operating conditions). This article is categorized under: Science of Water > Water Quality Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

Small-scale phenotypic differentiation along complex stream gradients in a non-native amphipod

“…While the examination of a species that colonized Central Europe relatively recently already drew the focus of our study towards questions related to contemporary evolution [85, 86] or adaptive phenotypic plasticity [87], we included yet another level of questions related to rapid evolutionary change/adaptive plasticity and compared streams with and without anthropogenic thermal pollution (starting approximately 50 years ago [88, 89]). Studying biotic responses to thermal pollution has become increasingly popular to forecast the potential effects of global warming [90]. Thermal pollution should primarily affect naturally selected traits (e.g., via lower oxygen availability), but could (mediated, e.g., by longer reproductive seasons) also affect the strength and direction of sexual selection (Table 1).…”

Data assimilation of in-situ and satellite remote sensing data to 3D hydrodynamic lake models

“…The better identification of such processes is of prime importance for various water quality aspects (e.g. heat extraction (Gaudard et al, 2018), wastewater discharge, water intakes, etc.). Yet the magnitude of such events has rarely been quantified, due to difficulties with their large-scale identification.…”

SWOT analysis of renewable energy sector in Mazowieckie Voivodeship (Poland): current progress, prospects and policy implications

“…Heat production equals to about 55 TJ/year, while in the heating season about 40% of the heat supplied to consumers comes from geothermal water. Geothermal water cooled in the heating section, when it is passed through the iron removal unit, is directed to the municipal water supply network as high quality potable water (Balcer, 2007;Gaudard et al, 2019).…”

“…The USA remained the world leader in installed geothermal capacity, with a total capacity of nearly 2.5 GW, followed by Indonesia (nearly 2.2 GW) and the Philippines (1.9 GW) (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, 2020). Gaudard et al (2019), estimate the potentials for heat extraction and disposal for the main lakes and rivers of Switzerland based on acceptable temperature changes in the waterbodies, and compare them to regional demands. In most cases, the potentials considerably exceed the demand, and minor impacts on the thermal regime of the waterbodies are expected.…”