Hydropower: projections in a changing climate and impacts by this

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Hydropower is an extensively used renewable source; in 2016, 159 countries reported benefiting; currently, there are around 9,000 projects in operation due to the competitive cost of generating a similar cost such as thermal energy such as coal, oil, or gas in the range of USD 4 - 5 cents US dollars per kilowatt-hour. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the results of hydroelectric development in the face of the changing climate and the generated impacts, making hydropower a subsector of special attention to discussing the global projection. METHOD: Bibliographic review to reflect on the global context of hydroelectricity based on scientific studies. RESULTS: Hydropower projects a 6% decrease for Europe by 2070, from 20% to 50% throughout the Mediterranean, and a reduction in usable capacity in most hydroelectric plants between 61% for the 2040 scenario– 2069 globally. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Globally, hydropower presents a broad vision of the advantages, and little said about the disadvantages and problems, and only there are specific studies that shown various project studied in a general way. It is shown that hydroelectric production has several implications in the face of the changing climate and impacts generated in ecosystems by the deployment of large infrastructures.

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)