The public's perception of run-of-the-river hydropower across Europe

A large share of future European hydropower projects will be run-of-the-river schemes. To understand the potential for RoR hydropower development and modernization of the technology as an opportunity for sustainable decentralization, we use the Q-methodology to compare public values about RoR hydrop...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy policy 2020-05, Vol.140, p.111422, Article 111422
Main Authors: Venus, Terese E., Hinzmann, Mandy, Bakken, Tor Haakon, Gerdes, Holger, Godinho, Francisco Nunes, Hansen, Bendik, Pinheiro, António, Sauer, Johannes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Case studies
Centralization
Citizens
Climate change
Decentralization
Decentralized generation
Distributed generation
Ecosystems
Energy policy
Flood control
Floods
Hydroelectric power
Local stakeholders
Modernization
Operators
Policy making
Public acceptance
Q methodology
Regional analysis
Rivers
Run-of-the-river hydropower
Technology
Well being
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Summary:A large share of future European hydropower projects will be run-of-the-river schemes. To understand the potential for RoR hydropower development and modernization of the technology as an opportunity for sustainable decentralization, we use the Q-methodology to compare public values about RoR hydropower in German, Portuguese and Swedish case studies. Four perspectives on the importance of RoR hydropower emerged from our analysis: (i) maintain regional control, (ii) fight climate change, (iii) promote citizen well-being and (iv) protect natural ecosystems. Strong preferences for regional control imply RoR should be managed as distributed generation rather than viewed as part of a centralized, national system like traditional large-scale reservoir hydropower. Based on the importance of citizen well-being and ecological measures, operators could adopt strategies such as river widening and the reconstruction of secondary channels, which help control floods, create recreational opportunities as well as enhance ecological habilitation and biodiversity. Additionally, policymakers could support rigorous monitoring programs to assess the ecological impact of RoR. •Small-scale decentralized generation is important for the renewable energy transition.•Run-of-the-river hydro accounts for a large share of remaining European hydro potential.•Operators could adopt ecological measures, which support multiple objectives.•Monitoring helps to inform policy and the public about ecological impact of RoR hydro.
ISSN:0301-4215
1873-6777
DOI:10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111422