Recent area and volume loss of Alpine glaciers in the Adda River of Italy and their contribution to hydropower production

D’Agata, C.; Bocchiola, Daniele; Soncini, Andrea; Maragno, Davide; Smiraglia, Claudio; Diolaiuti, Guglielmina

doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.12.010

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…A number of Alpine glaciers, located in the groups of Bernina, Disgrazia and Ortles‐Cevedale, are included in this study area, covering today an area of 65 km 2 (Salvatore et al ., 2015; Smiraglia and Diolaiuti, 2015). During the last decades, an intense reduction of glacier coverage and a strong volume loss have been observed (D'Agata et al ., 2018). The above loss corresponds to about 5.4·10 7 m 3 of water per year, contributing to the basin runoff with a specific depth of 12 mm⋅year −1 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi‐century meteo‐hydrological analysis for the Adda river basin (Central Alps). Part II: Daily runoff (1845–2016) at different scales

Ranzi

Michailidi

Tomirotti

et al. 2020

Intl Journal of Climatology

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A high-quality daily runoff time series of the Lake Como inflow and outflow, the longest for Italian Alps, was reconstructed for the 1845-2016 period in the Adda river basin. It was compared with contemporary monthly precipitation and temperature observations and estimated potential evapotranspiration losses. Trend analyses were conducted for daily flow maxima and 7-day duration minima of inflows into the lake showing a non-significant decrease and a significant increase, respectively. Although the annual precipitation time series exhibits a non-significant decrease, annual runoff volumes decrease with a rate of −136 mmÁcentury −1 , with a significance level of 5%. Possible causes of variability of rainfall and runoff as North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Western Mediterranean Oscillation indexes and sunspot activity were also explored. Wavelet spectra analyses of monthly precipitation and runoff show some changes in the energy both at small and large scales and are effective in pointing out phenomena as droughts and the effects of dams' regulation. Conversely, wavelet coherence spectra indicate a weak correlation of NAO and sunspots with precipitation. In addition, the analysis of temperature and potential evapotranspiration tendencies suggests that the decrease of runoff has to be ascribed mostly to anthropogenic factors, including water abstraction for irrigation and increased evapotranspiration losses due to natural afforestation and, only in part, to climatic variability.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi‐century meteo‐hydrological analysis for the Adda river basin (Central Alps). Part II: Daily runoff (1845–2016) at different scales

Ranzi

Michailidi

Tomirotti

et al. 2020

Intl Journal of Climatology

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“…Model validation was subsequently pursued using orthophotos in 2007, 2012, 2015, and a satellite image in 2017 (see Table 3). The glacier's outline was pursued manually, with a specific focus upon the potential presence of seasonal snow cover, and debris coverage (however negligible here), as necessary in glaciers' cover definition (e.g., [9,36]). The images were mostly taken in late summer, so normally little snow was available.…”

Section: Glacier's Cover Dynamics (2000-2017)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydropower from the Alpine Cryosphere in the Era of Climate Change: The Case of the Sabbione Storage Plant in Italy

Stucchi

Bombelli

Bianchi

et al. 2019

Water

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Greenhouse gas reduction policies will have to rely as much as possible upon renewable, clean energy sources. Hydropower is a very good candidate, since it is the only renewable energy source whose production can be adapted to demand, and still has a large exploitation margin, especially in developing countries. However, in Europe the contribution of hydropower from the cold water in the mountain areas is at stake under rapid cryospheric down wasting under global warming. Italian Alps are no exception, with a large share of hydropower depending upon cryospheric water. We study here climate change impact on the iconic Sabbione (Hosandorn) glacier, in the Piemonte region of Italy, and the homonymous reservoir, which collects water from ice melt. Sabbione storage plant has operated since 1953 and it was, until recently, the highest altitude dam of Europe at 2460 m asl, and the former second largest dam of the Alps with 44 Mm3. We use two models, namely Poly-Hydro and Poly-Power, to assess (i) present hydrological budget and components (i.e., ice/snow melt, rainfall), and (ii) hydropower production under optimal reservoirs’ management, respectively. We then project forward hydrological cycle including Sabbione glacier’s fate, under properly downscaled climate change scenarios (three General Circulation Models, three Representative Concentration Pathways, nine scenarios overall) from IPCC until 2100, and we assess future potential for hydropower production under the reservoir’s re-operation. Mean annual discharge during 2000–2017 is estimated at 0.90 m3 s−1, with ice melt contribution of ca. 11.5%, and ice cover as measured by remote sensing changing from 4.23 km2 in 2000 to 2.94 km2 in 2017 (−30%). Mean hydropower production during 2005–2017 is estimated as 46.6 GWh. At the end of the century ice covered area would be largely depleted (0–0.37 km2), and ice melt contribution would drop largely over the century (0%–10%, 5% on average at half century, and null in practice at the end of century). Therefore, decreased ice cover, and uncertain patterns of changing precipitation, would combine to modify the future stream fluxes (−22% to −3%, −10% on average at half century, and −28% to 1%, average −13%, at the end of century). Power production, driven by seasonal demand and water availability, would change (decrease) in the future (−27% to −8%, −15% on average at half century, and −32% to −5%, −16% at the end of century). Our results demonstrate potential for decrease of cold water in this area, paradigmatic of the present state of hydropower in the Alps, and subsequent considerable hydropower losses under climate change, and claim for adaptation measures therein.

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“…In areas where a large share of hydropower production depends upon ice melt, the expected future lack of water due to glaciers reduction may affect energy production and requires adaptation strategies [15]. Sensibility of hydropower plants productivity to climate change, together with the fact that they are still the major source of renewable energy, makes strategic to support and increase this type of energy production and to strengthen the efforts to reduce the human induced climatic changes [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Sustainability of Small-Scale Hydroelectric Plants on National Scale – The Italian Case Study

Raimondi¹,

Bettoni²,

Bianchi³

2021

Preprint

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The feasibility of hydroelectric plants depends on a variety of factors: water resource regime, geo-graphical, geological and environmental context, available technology, construction cost and eco-nomic value of produced energy. Choices about the building or renewal of hydroelectric plants should be based on the forecast of the future trend of these factors at least during the project life of the system. Focusing on the economic value of the produced energy this paper examines its influ-ence on the feasibility of hydroelectric plants. Analysis, referred to Italian case, were based on three different phases: i) the economic sustainability of small-scale hydroelectric plants under a minimum price guaranteed to the hydroelectric operator; ii) the estimate of the incentives to reach the thresholds of "acceptability" and "bankability" of the investment; iii) the analysis of results ob-tained in the previous phases using a model of the evolution of the electricity price in the period 2014-2100.

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Recent area and volume loss of Alpine glaciers in the Adda River of Italy and their contribution to hydropower production

Cited by 22 publications

References 49 publications

A multi‐century meteo‐hydrological analysis for the Adda river basin (Central Alps). Part II: Daily runoff (1845–2016) at different scales

A multi‐century meteo‐hydrological analysis for the Adda river basin (Central Alps). Part II: Daily runoff (1845–2016) at different scales

Hydropower from the Alpine Cryosphere in the Era of Climate Change: The Case of the Sabbione Storage Plant in Italy

Economic Sustainability of Small-Scale Hydroelectric Plants on National Scale – The Italian Case Study

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