DOCSLIB.ORG

Optimization of Large-Scale Hydropower System Operations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Optimization of Large-Scale Hydropower System Operations Optimization of Large-Scale Hydropower System Operations Mario T. L. Barros1; Frank T-C. Tsai2; Shu-li Yang3; Joao E. G. Lopes4; and William W-G. Yeh, Hon.M.ASCE5 Abstract: A practical monthly optimization model, called SISOPT, is developed for the management and operations of the Brazilian hydropower system. The system, one of the largest in the world, consists of 75 hydropower plants with an installed capacity of 69,375 MW, producing 92% of the nation’s electrical power. The system size and nonlinearity pose a real challenge to the modelers. The basic model is formulated in nonlinear programming ͑NLP͒. The NLP model is the most general formulation and provides a foundation for analysis by other methods. The formulated NLP model was first linearized by two different linearization techniques and solved by linear programming ͑LP͒. A comparative analysis was made of the results obtained from the linearized and the NLP models. The results show that the simplest linearized model ͑referred to as the LP model͒ without iteration is suitable for planning purposes. For example, the LP model could be used in system capacity expansion studies or to explore various design parameters in connection with feasibility studies, where details in storage variation are not as important as the power production. With a good initial policy provided by the LP model, the successive linear programming ͑SLP͒ model produced excellent results with fast convergence. The NLP model, the most complex and accurate model in the suite, is particularly suited for setting up guidelines for real-time operations using inflow forecast with frequent updating. The performance of the NLP model was checked against the historical operational records, and the comparison yields indica- tions of superior performance. DOI: 10.1061/͑ASCE͒0733-9496͑2003͒129:3͑178͒ CE Database subject headings: Optimization models; Brazil; Hydroelectric powerplants. Introduction ber of reservoirs responsible increases to only 17. This shows that the Brazilian hydropower system is composed of a few very large Brazil is replete with natural water resources and its hydropower storage reservoirs and many medium- and small-sized hydro- system, one of the largest in the world, has an installed capacity power plants. Presently, the system is operated in an integrated of 69,375 MW producing 92% of the nation’s electrical power. fashion. A firm established by the Brazilian Federal Government, The system consists of 75 hydropower plants and a combination the National System Operator ͑ONS͒, is in charge of the opera- of storage reservoirs and run-of-river plants. The network covers tions. ONS defines the monthly, weekly, and daily operational the following eight basins in Brazil: ͑1͒ North ͑Amazon͒; ͑2͒ rules. The main operational objective is to maximize the potential South Atlantic; ͑3͒ Tocantins; ͑4͒ Sao Francisco; ͑5͒ Southeast energy of the system. The Brazilian energy commerce is in the Atlantic; ͑6͒ Parana; ͑7͒ Uruguay; and ͑8͒ South Atlantic. Fig. 1 process of changing. In 1998, ONS assigned the power contracts shows the spatial distribution of the hydropower plants. Five hy- for the subsequent 5 years ͑1999–2003͒. A set of models ͑optimi- dropower plants are responsible for producing 50% of the Natural zation and simulation͒ was used to define the energy that each Inflow Energy ͑NIE͒: ͑1͒ Itaipu Dam ͑14,000 MW͒; ͑2͒ Tucurui reservoir must produce during this period. After the year 2003, Dam ͑4,241 MW͒; ͑3͒ Xingo Dam ͑3,000 MW͒; ͑4͒ Paulo the energy commerce in Brazil will be partially controlled by a Afonso/Moxoto Dam ͑4,285 MW͒; and ͑5͒ Ilha Solteira/Tres Ir- free market. For the first time, excess energy ͑amount of energy ͑ ͒ maos Dam 4,252 MW . If considering 75% of the NIE, the num- over the contract level͒ will be available to the free market. In the future, the market will be completely free, but ONS intends to 1Associate Professor, Dept. of Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineering, preserve the benefits of integrated operations. For a system such Univ. of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] as the Brazilian one, it will be very important to have an optimi- 2 Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, zation model to plan the operations in advance to support the UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095. E-mail: [email protected] management in their decision making. It is also important to point 3Formerly, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095. E-mail: out that a small improvement in operations for a system of such yangគ[email protected] size translates into enormous economic benefits. 4Graduate Student, Dept. of Hydraulic and Sanitary Engineering, Optimization techniques have become increasingly important Univ. of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] over the last three decades in the management and operations of 5Professor and Chair, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, complex reservoir systems. Yeh ͑1985͒, Simonovic ͑1992͒, Wurbs UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095. E-mail: [email protected] ͑1993, 1996͒, ReVelle ͑1997͒, and Momoh et al. ͑1999a,b͒ have Note. Discussion open until October 1, 2003. Separate discussions provided an extensive literature review and evaluation of various must be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by optimization methods and their corresponding models. The com- one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing plexities of a multipurpose, multireservoir system generally re- Editor. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and pos- sible publication on December 5, 2001; approved on August 23, 2002. quire that release decisions be made by an optimization or simu- This paper is part of the Journal of Water Resources Planning and lation model. Most of the optimization models are based on some Management, Vol. 129, No. 3, May 1, 2003. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9496/ type of mathematical programming technique. In general, the 2003/3-178–188/$18.00. available optimization methods include the following algorithms: 178 / JOURNAL OF WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2003 Nonlinear Programming „NLP… Model The basic model is formulated in terms of NLP, which offers the most general formulation and provides a foundation for analysis by other methods ͑Yeh 1985͒. With the drastic advancement in computing power and the development of effective nonlinear solvers in recent years, NLP has become a viable tool in solving large-scale water resources optimization problems ͑Peng and Buras 2000͒. The NLP model proposed herein is designed in such a way that it can be applied to many practical situations. Addi- tionally, it can be easily incorporated into a decision support sys- tem that allows the user to update data, execute the model, and view the results graphically. Traditionally, a reservoir system is designed for multiple pur- poses. There are several ways to solve a multiobjective optimiza- tion problem. Yeh and Becker ͑1982͒ used the constraint method to generate the trade-off curves among the five objectives consid- ered for the California Central Valley Project. Can and Houck ͑1984͒ applied preemptive goal programming to the real-time op- eration of a multipurpose, multireservoir system. Their approach circumvents the need to assign penalty functions, but it does re- Fig. 1. Spatial distribution of hydropower plants quire that the system be highly redundant and that the solution be nonunique so that objectives can be satisfied sequentially. Loga- nathan and Bhattacharya ͑1990͒ outlined five goal-programming schemes and formulated the reservoir operation problem involv- ing multiobjectives as a multiobjective linear program. Ko et al. 1. Linear programming ͑LP͒, including network flow models, ͑1992͒ made a comparative evaluation of several multiobjective ͑ ͒ 2. Quadratic programming QP , optimization methods in connection with reservoir management ͑ ͒ 3. Dynamic programming DP , and operations. They concluded that the constrained method ͑also ͑ ͒ 4. Nonlinear programming NLP , referred to as the ⑀-constrained method͒ was most suitable for ͑ ͒ 5. Mixed integer programming MIP , generating the tradeoffs among the competing objectives. Eschen- ͑ ͒ 6. Interior point methods IP , and bach et al. ͑2001͒ developed a multiobjective, preemptive linear 7. Nongradient-based search algorithms. goal-programming model for reservoir operation and applied it to The choice of methods depends on the characteristics of the the Tennessee Valley Authority network. Another way is to com- system being considered, on the availability of data, and on the bine the various objectives by the weighting method or by treat- objectives and constraints specified. Braga et al. ͑1998͒ devel- ing some of the objectives as constraints. oped a model for optimizing the Brazilian hydropower system For the Brazilian hydropower system, the proposed NLP based on the LP-DP method of Becker and Yeh ͑1974͒. Their model considers the following six objectives: ͑1͒ minimizing the model optimizes the operation month by month, and the LP-DP loss of the stored potential energy; ͑2͒ minimizing storage devia- decomposition may lead to a near-sighted solution if the monthly tions from targets; ͑3͒ maximizing total energy production; ͑4͒ ending storage condition is not properly specified. Barros et al. minimizing spilled energy; ͑5͒ minimizing energy complementa- ͑2001͒ developed an NLP model to optimize the energy produc- tion; and ͑6͒ maximizing the profit derived from secondary en- tion of the Paranapanema subsystem, which consists of three stor- ergy. Note that certain combinations of the objectives are neither age reservoirs and five run-of-river plants ͑Fig. 1, Nodes 32–39͒. desirable nor feasible. We now quantify each of the six objectives Their model considers the entire planning horizon and involves considered in the NLP model. no decomposition. Preliminary results show that NLP is a viable 1. Objective 1 minimizes the loss of the stored potential energy approach.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Brazil's Large Dams and the Social and Environmental Costs Of
    The Energy Crisis and the South American Pharaohs: Brazil’s Large Dams and the Social and Environmental Costs of Renewable Energy, 1973-1989 Dissertation Proposal Matthew P. Johnson (Georgetown)1 ABSTRACT: Brazil is the ideal model for studying the environmental controversies surrounding hydropower. A swell of large dams built by the military dictatorship sent Brazil into the top echelons of global hydropower producers. But these concrete leviathans also created a wealth of social and environmental problems that engendered the rise of an environmental lobby opposing further dam construction. My dissertation will look at the environmental controversies surrounding the four largest dams that Brazil’s military government built: Itaipu, Tucuruí, Sobradinho, and Balbina. My preliminary research suggests that pessimism among Brazilians towards hydropower resulted not from the inherent environmental costs but from the manner in which the dictatorship erected them. The exigencies of the 1973 energy crisis and the desire for immediate economic growth pushed the military dictatorship to plan grand hydroelectric projects that were at best expensive and at worse economically pointless, and to skimp on mitigating the social and environmental costs. Keywords: Hydropower; Dam-building; Brazil 1 Matthew P. Johnson, Mestre em História pela Universidade de Georgetown, EUA; Doutorando em História pela Universidade de Georgetown, EUA. [email protected] 1 The Energy Crisis and the South American Pharaohs: Brazil’s Large Dams and the Social and Environmental Costs of Renewable Energy, 1973-1989 Matthew P. Johnson (Georgetown) re hydroelectric dams, where feasible, a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels for meeting our century’s insatiable demand for energy without compromising the health of communities A and the environment? The question is far from settled.
    [Show full text]
  • Geographical Overview of the Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir, China—Geologic Hazards and Environmental Impacts
    Geographical Overview of the Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir, China—Geologic Hazards and Environmental Impacts Open-File Report 2008–1241 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Overview of the Three Gorges Dam and Reservoir, China— Geologic Hazards and Environmental Impacts By Lynn M. Highland Open-File Report 2008–1241 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Highland, L.M., 2008, Geographical overview of the Three Gorges dam and reservoir, China—Geologic hazards and environmental impacts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1241, 79 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1241/ iii Contents Slide 1...............................................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • Damright! WWF’S Dams Initiative
    DamRight! WWF’s Dams Initiative An Investor’s Guide to Dams DamRight! WWF’s Dams Initiative An Investor’s Guide to Dams Contents: Foreword by WWF Executive summary An investor’s checklist 1 Introduction 1.1 The benefits and costs of dams 1.2 The World Commission on Dams 1.3 Trends in dams finance 1.4 Aim of the guide 2 When is it appropriate to invest in dams? 2.1 Needs assessments 2.2 Alternative ways of providing services - assessing options Contents2.3 Ongoing review 3 Financial pitfalls to avoid when investing in dams 3.1 Exaggerated projections of benefits 3.2 Time and cost overruns 34 - 35 3.3 Inaccurate assessment of displaced peoples and inundated lands 32 - 33 3.4 Geological instability and dam failure 30 - 31 3.5 Displaced business spin-off 3.6 Sovereign risk and corruption 28 - 29 3.7 Maintenance and decommissioning costs 26 - 27 3.8 Cost recovery and dam beneficiaries 3.9 Inadequate insurance cover 24 - 25 4 Impact mitigation and avoidance 22 - 23 5 More information 6 References 20 - 21 7 Glossary 18 - 19 Annexes 16 - 17 Annex-1: Case study: Bakun dam, Malaysia 14 - 15 Annex-2: Mitigating environmental impacts 12 - 13 Cover image: 10 - 11 Itaipu dam – The biggest 8 - 9 dam in the world, located on the Paraná River 6 - 7 between Brazil and 4 - 5 Paraguay. 2 - 3 M GUNTHER, WWF-CANON DamRight! WWF’s Dams Initiative Foreword Dams are among the most destructive developments that impact on rivers and ecosystems, threatening both wildlife and people.
    [Show full text]
  • BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES to BAT for BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT Notisur
    University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository NotiEn: An Analytical Digest About Energy Issues Latin American Energy Policy, Regulation and in Latin America Dialogue 5-28-2010 BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT NotiSur Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/la_energy_notien Recommended Citation NotiSur. "BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT." (2010). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/la_energy_notien/118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Latin American Energy Policy, Regulation and Dialogue at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NotiEn: An Analytical Digest About Energy Issues in Latin America by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BRAZIL: PRESIDENT LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA GOES TO BAT FOR BELO MONTE DAM PROJECT By Benjamin Witte-Lebhar Unfazed by entrenched environmental opposition, a threat of war by local indigenous groups, and celebrity lobbying by a handful of Hollywood stars, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is putting the pedal to the metal on a controversial hydroelectric project slated for the country's Amazon jungle region. Planned for the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon River, the Belo Monte dam project promises to add a staggering 11,200 megawatts of electricity to Brazil's grid. Once completed, it would be the world's third-largest hydroelectric complex after the Three Gorges Dam in China (21,500 MW) and the 14,000-MW Itaipú dam, which Brazil shares with neighboring Paraguay.
    [Show full text]
  • 'National Interest': the Depoliticization and Repoliticization of The
    water Article Disputing the ‘National Interest’: The Depoliticization and Repoliticization of the Belo Monte Dam, Brazil Ed Atkins School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; [email protected] Received: 31 October 2018; Accepted: 21 December 2018; Published: 9 January 2019 Abstract: The construction of a hydroelectric project transforms the watershed in which it is located, leading to a moment of contestation in which the scheme is challenged by opposition actors. This paper explores the interplay between pro- and anti-dam coalitions contesting the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil by discussing how each group inscribes the project with a particular resonance in policy. Drawing upon the work of Chantal Mouffe on agonism and Tania Murray Li on ‘rendering technical’, the subsequent discussion analyzes semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and primary documents to explore how the storylines advanced by pro- and anti-dam actors contest the political character of Belo Monte. It is argued that within these storylines, Belo Monte’s positioning within the ‘national interest’ represents a key site of the project’s depoliticization and repoliticization—which are understood as the respective denial and illumination of the project’s location within a wider terrain of political antagonism and conflict. Whilst pro-dam actors assert the apolitical character of the project by foregrounding it within depoliticized questions of economic benefits, anti-dam actors reground the project within a context of political corruption and the circumvention of dissent. With this paper providing evidence of how contests over dam construction are linked to the concealing and/or illumination of the project’s political content, it is argued that the repoliticization of a project by a resistance movement can have consequences far beyond the immediate site of construction.
    [Show full text]
  • Uncertainties in Amazon Hydropower Development: Risk Scenarios and Environmental Issues Around the Belo Monte Dam
    www.water-alternatives.org Volume 3 | Issue 2 Sousa Júnior, W.C. and Reid, J. 2010. Uncertainties in Amazon hydropower development: Risk scenarios and environmental issues around the Belo Monte dam. Water Alternatives 3(2): 249-268 Uncertainties in Amazon Hydropower Development: Risk Scenarios and Environmental Issues around the Belo Monte Dam Wilson Cabral de Sousa Júnior Professor, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil; [email protected] John Reid Executive Director, Conservation Strategy Fund, Sebastopol, CA, USA; [email protected] ABSTRACT: The Amazon region is the final frontier and central focus of Brazilian hydro development, which raises a range of environmental concerns. The largest project in the Amazon is the planned Belo Monte Complex on the Xingu river. If constructed it will be the second biggest hydroelectric plant in Brazil, third largest on earth. In this study, we analyse the private and social costs, and benefits of the Belo Monte project. Furthermore, we present risk scenarios, considering fluctuations in the project’s feasibility that would result from variations in total costs and power. For our analysis, we create three scenarios. In the first scenario Belo Monte appears feasible, with a net present value (NPV) in the range of US$670 million and a rate of return in excess of the 12% discount rate used in this analysis. The second scenario, where we varied some of the project costs and assumptions based on other economic estimates, shows the project to be infeasible, with a negative NPV of about US$3 billion and external costs around US$330 million.
    [Show full text]
  • Dukeengage 2020 Program Profile – Itaipu DUKEENGAGE ITAIPU
    DUKEENGAGE ITAIPU Researching the potential for sustainable development and growth for Paraguay and Brazil Dates: May 17 – July 14, 2020 (Dates subject to change up until the point of departure.) Service Themes ● Community Development & Outreach ● Environment & Conservation ● Public Policy ● Science & Engineering Program Focus Partnering with organizations and research sites in Brazil and Paraguay to make recommendations regarding Itaipu dam electricity after 2023 when the current energy agreements expire. Recommendations will focus on ways to spur economic and sustainable growth for both countries. Program Leaders ● Christine Folch is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural Anthropology with a secondary appointment as an Assistant Professor in Environmental Sciences and Policy Division at the Nicholas School. Her research focuses on energy and natural resource politics, with specific studies in Itaipu Dam and Paraguay. ● Luana Marangon Lima is a Visiting Assistant Professor of energy and environment in the Environmental Sciences and Policy Division at the Nicholas School and the Associate Director for Educational Programs at the Energy Initiative. Her research and teaching focus on optimization methods and data analytics applications to energy systems. Most of her work is on Brazil, where she is originally from. Program Overview Itaipu Binational Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Paraná river located on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. The Dam is a leader in renewable energy production, equally owned by both countries, with the joint-ownership terms established by the Itaipu Treaty in 1973. Because Paraguay does not have sufficient demand to consume its 50% share, it has historically exported the majority of its electricity to Brazil: its 14,000 MW of installed capacity provide around 90% of the electricity consumed in Paraguay and 15% of the electricity in Brazil.
    [Show full text]
  • Indigenous Populations and Globalization-The Case of Belo Monte
    University of Florida Levin College of Law UF Law Scholarship Repository UF Law Faculty Publications Faculty Scholarship 2014 Culture Clashes: Indigenous Populations and Globalization-The aC se of Belo Monte Berta E. Hernández-Truyol University of Florida Levin College of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub Part of the Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons Recommended Citation Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol, Culture Clashes: Indigenous Populations and Globalization - The Case of Belo Monte, 12 Seattle .J for Soc. Just. 775 (2014) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at UF Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in UF Law Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UF Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 775 Culture Clashes: Indigenous Populations and Globalization—The Case of Belo Monte Berta Esperanza Hernández-Truyol I. INTRODUCTION This work utilizes the example of a current concern–the construction of the Belo Monte dam in Brazil—to show the potentially devastating impact on Indigenous populations of globalization or mondialisation. The dam’s construction will be financed mostly with public funds and will be built by a consortium of public and private actors. 1 Belo Monte will be Brazil’s second largest dam and the third largest in the world.2 As such, the project’s allure to the State is the potential to develop a major source of much-needed “green” energy. Such a source of energy is welcome in a large, populous country that is seeking the best way to achieve economic development for the well-being of its inhabitants.3 On the other hand, “[t]he construction of the hydroelectric dam in Belo Monte would directly affect the indigenous peoples located in the Xingu river basin.”4 Moreover, the construction of the Belo Monte dam would not 1 Ken Rapoza, The Tug of War over Brazil’s Belo Monte Dam, INT’L RIVERS (Jan.
    [Show full text]
  • Lecture 24B: Hydropower
    1.818J/2.65J/3.564J/10.391J/11.371J/22.811J/ESD166J SUSTAINABLE ENERGY Prof. Michael W. Golay Nuclear Engineering Dept. HYDROPOWER 1 HYDRO POWER – A CASE STUDY • Some facts and figures • Large-scale versus small scale • High head versus low–head • Energy conversion technology • Environmental and social impacts • Economic issues 2 FOUR TYPES OF HYDROPOWER SYSTEMS 1. Impoundment Involving Dams: e.g., Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee 2. Diversion or Run-of-River Systems: e.g., Niagara Falls 3. Pumped Storage Two way flow Pumped up to a storage reservoir and returned to lower elevation for power generation 4. Tidal: e.g., la Rance 3 BOSTON BACK BAY Photo by Peter Stevens on Flickr. 4 BC BEAVER DAM 5 HYDRO-QUÉBEC PRODUCTION • 97% renewable energy • 57 hydroelectric generating stations (35,647 MW) • 26 reservoirs (capacity of 175 TWh / year) • 1 nuclear power plant • Annual investment: $2 billion 6 CANIAPISCAU RESERVOIR Aerial photo of Caniapiscau Reservoir removed due to copyright restrictions. Caniapiscau Reservoir is a man-made lake, created as part of the La Grande Complex (James Bay) Hydro-electric Project. http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/nam/nam-35.html 7 THREE GORGES DAM Image by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using ASTER data made available by NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Via NASA Visible Earth, Goddard Space Flight Center. BONNEVILLE DAM 9 DORDOGNE DAM 10 ITAIPU DAM 11 Photo by Herr stahlhoefer on Wikimedia Commons. ITAIPU DAM 12 ITAIPU DAM 13 ASWAN DAM 14 Photos by Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center and NASA Visible Earth, Goddard Space Flight Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of River Fisheries Valuation in Central and South America
    Review of River Fisheries Valuation in Central and South America Elizabeth Bennett(1) and Andy Thorpe(2) IDDRA (Institute for Sustainable Development & Aquatic Resources) Portsmouth Technopole Kingston Crescent Portsmouth PO2 Hants United Kingdom Tel: +44 2392 658232 E-mail: [email protected] University of Portsmouth Locksway Road Portsmouth PO4 8JF Hants United Kingdom Tel: +44 2392 876543 E-mail: [email protected] Bennett and Thorpe 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 1.1 Methodology.......................................................................................................2 2. THE RIVERS, ENVIRONMENT AND FISHING ACTIVITY OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA .............................................................................................2 2.1 The main river basins in Central and South America.........................................2 2.2 Other water resources: lakes and reservoirs........................................................4 2.3 Main species caught in the region.......................................................................5 2.4 Central and South America river fisheries in a regional and global context ......6 2.5 Freshwater production trends on the continent...................................................8 2.6 Non-capture and non-fisheries production..........................................................9 2.7 Regional importance of fishing as a livelihoods option......................................9 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydropower: Past and Future
    THE GREAT TRANSITION: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy Lester R. Brown, with Janet Larsen, J. Matthew Roney, and Emily E. Adams © Earth Policy Institute 2015 8 Hydropower: Past and Future In 1966, at the age of 72, Mao Zedong famously swam in Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze, to demonstrate his vigor and the strength of the Cultural Revolution. A dip in the fast-moving waters a decade earlier had inspired him to write a poem about how a dam on the Yangtze—a project that had been envisioned for flood control as early as 1919 by the founder of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen—could change the world. In 1994, some 18 years after Mao’s death, construction began on what would become the largest hydroelectric project ever seen: the Three Gorges Dam. First online in 2003 and fully completed in 2012, the 600-foot-tall Three Gorges Dam has an estimated electricity generating capacity of 22,500 megawatts. Its annual output of some 83 million megawatt-hours is equal to the power from burning 45 million tons of coal or running 12 nuclear reactors. Yet despite its major elec- tricity contribution, the monumental dam—like many of the 300 mega-dams worldwide—has had a profound environmental, social, and economic impact. The problems associated with the Three Gorges Dam Hydropower: Past and Future 115 are highly visible. Its construction flooded 244 square miles and displaced over 1.4 million people. The Chinese government’s promise to provide them with a home and life after relocation comparable to their previous liveli- hoods in economic terms has simply not materialized.
    [Show full text]
  • Impacts of Hydroelectric Dams on Fishes and Fisheries in Tropical Rivers
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Impacts of hydroelectric dams on fishes and fisheries in tropical rivers through the lens of functional traits 1,2 2,3 Caroline C Arantes , Daniel B Fitzgerald , 4 2 David J Hoeinghaus and Kirk O Winemiller We summarize observed and expected impacts of obstructing migration routes, altering sediment transport hydroelectric dams on tropical fishes and fisheries through the and water quality, promoting invasions by exotic species lens of fish functional traits and consequences of shifting and biotic homogenization, and favoring generalist over functional diversity for social-ecological systems. Following specialist species [5,6 ,7]. Large scale hydroelectric pro- impoundment, stocks respond to environmental changes jects also can promote road construction, deforestation, differently according to their functional traits, resulting in fairly mining, and urban development in surrounding regions, predictable shifts in assemblage functional structure. The most which may act synergistically with altered flow regimes to vulnerable species are those with traits adaptive for habitats impact aquatic biodiversity and production. Our ability to with fast flowing water, structural complexity, flood pulsing or predict responses of fish stocks to environmental changes those requiring connectivity across basins to complete their life caused by hydroelectric dams is critical for mitigating cycle. Shifts in assemblage functional trait distributions are socioeconomic and ecological impacts of these projects, accompanied by reduced fishery yields and impacts to other particularly in tropical regions where inland fisheries ecosystem services. Research employing a functional traits support livelihoods and food security for millions. approach should enhance assessment of impacts of impoundments on biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem Tropical rivers support the highest freshwater fish diver- services, especially for data-deficient systems.
    [Show full text]