Analysis of the trade-off between hydroelectricity generation and ecological protection from the perspective of eco-efficiency in Southwest China

Driven by the global net-zero carbon emission goal, even though the impact of hydropower on river ecosystems cannot be ignored, hydropower scale and intensity will be expanded in Southwest China (SC). Therefore, the trade-off between hydroelectricity generation and ecological protection remains an i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of environmental management 2022-08, Vol.315, p.115063-115063, Article 115063
Main Authors: Wang, Weiqian, Wang, Huimin, Liu, Gang, Gao, Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
China
Cross-DEA
Eco-efficiency
Ecological flow
Ecosystem
Efficiency
Fishes
Hydropower
Rivers
Trade-off
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Summary:Driven by the global net-zero carbon emission goal, even though the impact of hydropower on river ecosystems cannot be ignored, hydropower scale and intensity will be expanded in Southwest China (SC). Therefore, the trade-off between hydroelectricity generation and ecological protection remains an issue requiring urgent attention at the moment. This paper proposes an eco-efficiency (EE) indicator system of hydropower adopting the water consumption of hydropower product (PWC), labor, and capital as inputs and the power generation, ecological flow deviation (EFD) as outputs and then explores the factors influencing the EE value of hydropower in SC. The results indicate that (1) The EE incorporates the impact of each plant on fish, provides decision support for hydropower development planning and serves as the foundation for eco-dispatch operations. (2) Hydropower generation affects fish reproduction in SC, and the EE value of the Wu River is relatively low. (3) The scale of power generation and degree of fish protection are two significant factors that can increase the EE value of hydropower. To compensate for plant inadequacies in these two aspects, equivalent changes in hydropower planning and eco-dispatch operations should be implemented. [Display omitted] •The index system of hydropower eco-efficiency was proposed considering the ecological flow deviation.•We investigated the eco-efficiency of 18 groups of hydropower plants in the Southwest China.•Most plants were insufficient in power generation scale or fish protection degree.
ISSN:0301-4797
1095-8630
DOI:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115063