Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition
The European Alps are well positioned to contribute significantly to the energy transition. In addition to sites with above-average potential for wind and solar power, the “water towers” of Europe provide flexible, low-carbon power generation as well as energy storage. In the future, hydropower syst...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Mountain Society
2016-05-01
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| Series: | Mountain Research and Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00069.1 |
| _version_ | 1819039707398406144 |
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| author | Astrid Björnsen Gurung Axel Borsdorf Leopold Füreder Felix Kienast Peter Matt Christoph Scheidegger Lukas Schmocker Massimiliano Zappa Kathrin Volkart |
| author_facet | Astrid Björnsen Gurung Axel Borsdorf Leopold Füreder Felix Kienast Peter Matt Christoph Scheidegger Lukas Schmocker Massimiliano Zappa Kathrin Volkart |
| author_sort | Astrid Björnsen Gurung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The European Alps are well positioned to contribute significantly to the energy transition. In addition to sites with above-average potential for wind and solar power, the “water towers” of Europe provide flexible, low-carbon power generation as well as energy storage. In the future, hydropower systems are expected to become more than mere electricity generators, serving a key role as flexible complements to intermittent power generators and as providers of large-scale seasonal and daily energy storage. Energy transition on national and European scales can be facilitated by expanding the capacity of pumped storage hydropower (PSHP) plants. Yet the extension of hydropower production, in particular PSHP, remains controversial, primarily due to environmental concerns. Focusing on 2 Alpine countries, Austria and Switzerland, this paper provides a system view of hydropower production and energy storage in the Alps. It discusses advantages and drawbacks of various assessment tools and identifies gaps and needs for the integrated assessment of PSHP plants. It concludes that instruments that evaluate the impacts and sustainability of PSHP projects need to be developed, elaborated, and applied in a participatory manner, in order to promote public dialogue, increase social acceptance, and, ideally, encourage energy consumers to become advocates of a sustainable energy future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:57:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eea277cddc0e4dd086b68727be90e6dc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0276-4741 1994-7151 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T08:57:29Z |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | International Mountain Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mountain Research and Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-eea277cddc0e4dd086b68727be90e6dc2022-12-21T19:09:32ZengInternational Mountain SocietyMountain Research and Development0276-47411994-71512016-05-0136222223210.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00069.1Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy TransitionAstrid Björnsen Gurung0Axel Borsdorf1Leopold Füreder2Felix Kienast3Peter Matt4Christoph Scheidegger5Lukas Schmocker6Massimiliano Zappa7Kathrin Volkart8Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland; astrid.bjoernsen@wsl.chInstitute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Technikerstrasse 21a, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaRiver Ecology and Conservation Research, Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaSwiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandVorarlberger Kraftwerke AG, Anton-Amman-Str. 12, 6773 Vandans, AustriaSwiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandETH Zurich, Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research—Supply of Electricity, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 27, 8093 Zürich, SwitzerlandSwiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandPaul Scherrer Institut, OHSA/E03, 5232 Villigen PSI, SwitzerlandThe European Alps are well positioned to contribute significantly to the energy transition. In addition to sites with above-average potential for wind and solar power, the “water towers” of Europe provide flexible, low-carbon power generation as well as energy storage. In the future, hydropower systems are expected to become more than mere electricity generators, serving a key role as flexible complements to intermittent power generators and as providers of large-scale seasonal and daily energy storage. Energy transition on national and European scales can be facilitated by expanding the capacity of pumped storage hydropower (PSHP) plants. Yet the extension of hydropower production, in particular PSHP, remains controversial, primarily due to environmental concerns. Focusing on 2 Alpine countries, Austria and Switzerland, this paper provides a system view of hydropower production and energy storage in the Alps. It discusses advantages and drawbacks of various assessment tools and identifies gaps and needs for the integrated assessment of PSHP plants. It concludes that instruments that evaluate the impacts and sustainability of PSHP projects need to be developed, elaborated, and applied in a participatory manner, in order to promote public dialogue, increase social acceptance, and, ideally, encourage energy consumers to become advocates of a sustainable energy future.http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00069.1Austriaenergy transitionAlpsenvironmental impactspumped storage hydropowersustainability assessmentSwitzerland |
| spellingShingle | Astrid Björnsen Gurung Axel Borsdorf Leopold Füreder Felix Kienast Peter Matt Christoph Scheidegger Lukas Schmocker Massimiliano Zappa Kathrin Volkart Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition Mountain Research and Development Austria energy transition Alps environmental impacts pumped storage hydropower sustainability assessment Switzerland |
| title | Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition |
| title_full | Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition |
| title_fullStr | Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition |
| title_short | Rethinking Pumped Storage Hydropower in the European Alps: A Call for New Integrated Assessment Tools to Support the Energy Transition |
| title_sort | rethinking pumped storage hydropower in the european alps a call for new integrated assessment tools to support the energy transition |
| topic | Austria energy transition Alps environmental impacts pumped storage hydropower sustainability assessment Switzerland |
| url | http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00069.1 |
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