Determining the net environmental performance of hydropower: A new methodological approach by combining life cycle and ecosystem services assessment

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2020-04, Vol.712, p.136369-136369, Article 136369
• Main Authors: Briones-Hidrovo, Andrei, Uche, Javier, Martínez-Gracia, Amaya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ecosystem services; Hydropower; Life cycle assessment; Methodological approach; Sustainability
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136369

In the face of climate-ecological breakdown, it is well known that the world aims at developing renewable energies in order to replace fossil fuels. However, there is a great concern regarding their environmental-ecological issues specially with those ones that have a deep interplay with its immediate environment such the case of hydropower. Despite efforts, the existing environmental-ecological methodologies and approaches are incapable to encompass the wide impacts of hydropower. To bridge this knowledge gap, the goal of this paper is twofold: first, to propose a methodological approach that combines and balances two well-known environmental-ecological assessments: life cycle (LCA) and ecosystem services assessment (ESA). This way, the proposal enables a deeper look into the environmental-ecological performance. Second, to determine the total environmental-ecological accounting and hence the net environmental performance of hydropower. In order to expose the applicability of the proposed methodological approach, case studies of a dam and run-of-river hydropower plant located in Ecuador were examined. Analysis found a net environmental performance (NEP) of −0.98 $/kWh and −0.08 $/kWh, respectively. These results clearly indicate a marked environmental-ecological difference between these two hydropower schemes, awareness of which may be helpful for further decision-making and developing new energy policies in pursuit of sustainable development goals. What is more, this methodological approach may be applied and extended not only to other renewable energy technologies, but also to any other project or activity where the exploitation and use of natural resources are involved. [Display omitted] •A new methodological approach based on ES-LCA combination and balance is proposed.•The proposed methodological approach is applied to analyse and compare hydropower schemes.•Run-of-river hydropower scheme has by far better environmental-ecological performance than dam scheme.•The methodological approach may be useful to meet sustainable development goals.