In: Civil Engineering
Describe the effects of climate change on hydro-electric power generation?
Hydropower is the major source of clean renewable energy. Hydropower is produced from water and the production depends upon the natural water cycle. any change in the natural water cycle due to climate change also affect the hydropower generation.
- the climate change is associated with widespread changes in the natural precipitation cycles ,they effect the Tropic and subtropical regions differently. This affects in the amount of water that reaches the dams through rivers and will affect the hydro power generation.
-the temperature rise associated with the climate change will increase the evaporation of water, due to which there will be decrease in the water in the dams. This have great impact particularly in Shallow reservoirs where area is large.
-climate change will cause frequent extreme conditions like floods and droughts which effects the hydro power generation.
- perennial rivers which are sourced by Glacier covers affected greatly by climate change. due to rise in the temperature this Glacier covers initially melt of, increasing the run off in the rivers first and then gradually decrease in the total run off forever.