IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v216y2018icp709-723.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys

Author

Listed:
  • Garegnani, Giulia
  • Sacchelli, Sandro
  • Balest, Jessica
  • Zambelli, Pietro

Abstract

In the last decade, European attractive policies are favoring the construction of new run-off hydro-power plants. The realization cost of these plants is quite low in mountain areas thanks to small water discharges and high gross heads. For this reason, small rivers have been strongly exploited without considering an optimal use of the resource. Nowadays, available sites are often in areas with low accessibility and a greater specific cost of civil engineering works. However, during the planning of new small hydro-power plants, the dependency of physical, technical, legal and financial variable on space is often not assessed. The tool presented in this paper addresses this gap to support the planning of run-off-river plants. The method improves on previous approaches by (1) integrating all the legal, technical and financial analysis in a GIS tool, and (2) trying to validate the site-specific model with local knowledge. The tool is applied to the Gesso and Vermenagna valleys in the Alps. Information and data were collected and discussed with local stakeholders in order to improve the model results.

Suggested Citation

  • Garegnani, Giulia & Sacchelli, Sandro & Balest, Jessica & Zambelli, Pietro, 2018. "GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 709-723.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:216:y:2018:i:c:p:709-723
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.043
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918301685
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.043?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sacchelli, Sandro & De Meo, Isabella & Paletto, Alessandro, 2013. "Bioenergy production and forest multifunctionality: A trade-off analysis using multiscale GIS model in a case study in Italy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 10-20.
    2. Palomino Cuya, Daly Grace & Brandimarte, Luigia & Popescu, Ioana & Alterach, Julio & Peviani, Maximo, 2013. "A GIS-based assessment of maximum potential hydropower production in La Plata basin under global changes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 103-114.
    3. Kusre, B.C. & Baruah, D.C. & Bordoloi, P.K. & Patra, S.C., 2010. "Assessment of hydropower potential using GIS and hydrological modeling technique in Kopili River basin in Assam (India)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 298-309, January.
    4. Tucho, Gudina Terefe & Weesie, Peter D.M. & Nonhebel, Sanderine, 2014. "Assessment of renewable energy resources potential for large scale and standalone applications in Ethiopia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 422-431.
    5. Bøckman, Thor & Fleten, Stein-Erik & Juliussen, Erik & Langhammer, Håvard J. & Revdal, Ingemar, 2008. "Investment timing and optimal capacity choice for small hydropower projects," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 190(1), pages 255-267, October.
    6. Viana, H. & Cohen, Warren B. & Lopes, D. & Aranha, J., 2010. "Assessment of forest biomass for use as energy. GIS-based analysis of geographical availability and locations of wood-fired power plants in Portugal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(8), pages 2551-2560, August.
    7. Aggidis, G.A. & Luchinskaya, E. & Rothschild, R. & Howard, D.C., 2010. "The costs of small-scale hydro power production: Impact on the development of existing potential," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2632-2638.
    8. Kaldellis, J. K. & Vlachou, D. S. & Korbakis, G., 2005. "Techno-economic evaluation of small hydro power plants in Greece: a complete sensitivity analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(15), pages 1969-1985, October.
    9. Ogayar, B. & Vidal, P.G., 2009. "Cost determination of the electro-mechanical equipment of a small hydro-power plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 6-13.
    10. Gemelli, Alberto & Mancini, Adriano & Longhi, Sauro, 2011. "GIS-based energy-economic model of low temperature geothermal resources: A case study in the Italian Marche region," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 2474-2483.
    11. Chatzimouratidis, Athanasios I. & Pilavachi, Petros A., 2009. "Sensitivity analysis of technological, economic and sustainability evaluation of power plants using the analytic hierarchy process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 788-798, March.
    12. Price, Trevor & Probert, Douglas, 1997. "Harnessing hydropower: A practical guide," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(2-3), pages 175-251, June.
    13. Baban, Serwan M.J & Parry, Tim, 2001. "Developing and applying a GIS-assisted approach to locating wind farms in the UK," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 59-71.
    14. Yah, Nor F. & Oumer, Ahmed N. & Idris, Mat S., 2017. "Small scale hydro-power as a source of renewable energy in Malaysia: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 228-239.
    15. Grassi, Stefano & Junghans, Sven & Raubal, Martin, 2014. "Assessment of the wake effect on the energy production of onshore wind farms using GIS," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 827-837.
    16. Mari, Riccardo & Bottai, Lorenzo & Busillo, Caterina & Calastrini, Francesca & Gozzini, Bernardo & Gualtieri, Giovanni, 2011. "A GIS-based interactive web decision support system for planning wind farms in Tuscany (Italy)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 754-763.
    17. van Haaren, Rob & Fthenakis, Vasilis, 2011. "GIS-based wind farm site selection using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA): Evaluating the case for New York State," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(7), pages 3332-3340, September.
    18. Lehner, Bernhard & Czisch, Gregor & Vassolo, Sara, 2005. "The impact of global change on the hydropower potential of Europe: a model-based analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 839-855, May.
    19. Höhn, J. & Lehtonen, E. & Rasi, S. & Rintala, J., 2014. "A Geographical Information System (GIS) based methodology for determination of potential biomasses and sites for biogas plants in southern Finland," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-10.
    20. Kucuksari, Sadik & Khaleghi, Amirreza M. & Hamidi, Maryam & Zhang, Ye & Szidarovszky, Ferenc & Bayraksan, Guzin & Son, Young-Jun, 2014. "An Integrated GIS, optimization and simulation framework for optimal PV size and location in campus area environments," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1601-1613.
    21. Mekonnen, Addisu D. & Gorsevski, Pece V., 2015. "A web-based participatory GIS (PGIS) for offshore wind farm suitability within Lake Erie, Ohio," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 162-177.
    22. Vučijak, B. & Kupusović, T. & Midžić-Kurtagić, S. & Ćerić, A., 2013. "Applicability of multicriteria decision aid to sustainable hydropower," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 261-267.
    23. Petras Punys & Antanas Dumbrauskas & Algis Kvaraciejus & Gitana Vyciene, 2011. "Tools for Small Hydropower Plant Resource Planning and Development: A Review of Technology and Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 4(9), pages 1-20, August.
    24. Kinoshita, Tsuguki & Inoue, Keisuke & Iwao, Koki & Kagemoto, Hiroshi & Yamagata, Yoshiki, 2009. "A spatial evaluation of forest biomass usage using GIS," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 1-8, January.
    25. Müller, Marc F. & Thompson, Sally E. & Kelly, Maggi N., 2016. "Bridging the information gap: A webGIS tool for rural electrification in data-scarce regions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 277-286.
    26. Voivontas, D. & Assimacopoulos, D. & Mourelatos, A. & Corominas, J., 1998. "Evaluation of Renewable Energy potential using a GIS decision support system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 333-344.
    27. Paish, Oliver, 2002. "Small hydro power: technology and current status," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 537-556, December.
    28. Resch, Gustav & Held, Anne & Faber, Thomas & Panzer, Christian & Toro, Felipe & Haas, Reinhard, 2008. "Potentials and prospects for renewable energies at global scale," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 4048-4056, November.
    29. Sánchez-Lozano, Juan M. & Teruel-Solano, Jerónimo & Soto-Elvira, Pedro L. & Socorro García-Cascales, M., 2013. "Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods for the evaluation of solar farms locations: Case study in south-eastern Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 544-556.
    30. Rojanamon, Pannathat & Chaisomphob, Taweep & Bureekul, Thawilwadee, 2009. "Application of geographical information system to site selection of small run-of-river hydropower project by considering engineering/economic/environmental criteria and social impact," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2336-2348, December.
    31. Chatzimouratidis, Athanasios I. & Pilavachi, Petros A., 2009. "Technological, economic and sustainability evaluation of power plants using the Analytic Hierarchy Process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 778-787, March.
    32. de Vries, Bert J.M. & van Vuuren, Detlef P. & Hoogwijk, Monique M., 2007. "Renewable energy sources: Their global potential for the first-half of the 21st century at a global level: An integrated approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 2590-2610, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gemechu, Eskinder & Kumar, Amit, 2022. "A review of how life cycle assessment has been used to assess the environmental impacts of hydropower energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    2. Juan Carlos Osorio-Aravena & Marina Frolova & Julio Terrados-Cepeda & Emilio Muñoz-Cerón, 2020. "Spatial Energy Planning: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Dhaubanjar, Sanita & Lutz, Arthur F & Pradhananga, Saurav & Smolenaars, Wouter & Khanal, Sonu & Biemans, Hester & Nepal, Santosh & Ludwig, Fulco & Shrestha, Arun Bhakta & Immerzeel, Walter W, 2024. "From theoretical to sustainable potential for run-of-river hydropower development in the upper Indus basin," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    4. Scaramuzzino, Chiara & Garegnani, Giulia & Zambelli, Pietro, 2019. "Integrated approach for the identification of spatial patterns related to renewable energy potential in European territories," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1-13.
    5. Moiz, Abdul & Kawasaki, Akiyuki & Koike, Toshio & Shrestha, Maheswor, 2018. "A systematic decision support tool for robust hydropower site selection in poorly gauged basins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 309-321.
    6. Mrówczyńska, Maria & Skiba, Marta & Bazan-Krzywoszańska, Anna & Sztubecka, Małgorzata, 2020. "Household standards and socio-economic aspects as a factor determining energy consumption in the city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    7. Zhiqiang Jiang & Hui Qin & Changming Ji & Dechao Hu & Jianzhong Zhou, 2019. "Effect Analysis of Operation Stage Difference on Energy Storage Operation Chart of Cascade Reservoirs," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(4), pages 1349-1365, March.
    8. Patro, Epari Ritesh & De Michele, Carlo & Avanzi, Francesco, 2018. "Future perspectives of run-of-the-river hydropower and the impact of glaciers’ shrinkage: The case of Italian Alps," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 699-713.
    9. Bonati, A. & De Luca, G. & Fabozzi, S. & Massarotti, N. & Vanoli, L., 2019. "The integration of exergy criterion in energy planning analysis for 100% renewable system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 749-767.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Teegala Srinivasa Kishore & Epari Ritesh Patro & V. S. K. V. Harish & Ali Torabi Haghighi, 2021. "A Comprehensive Study on the Recent Progress and Trends in Development of Small Hydropower Projects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-31, May.
    2. Moiz, Abdul & Kawasaki, Akiyuki & Koike, Toshio & Shrestha, Maheswor, 2018. "A systematic decision support tool for robust hydropower site selection in poorly gauged basins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 309-321.
    3. Izadyar, Nima & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Chong, W.T. & Leong, K.Y., 2016. "Resource assessment of the renewable energy potential for a remote area: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 908-923.
    4. Kelly-Richards, Sarah & Silber-Coats, Noah & Crootof, Arica & Tecklin, David & Bauer, Carl, 2017. "Governing the transition to renewable energy: A review of impacts and policy issues in the small hydropower boom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 251-264.
    5. Shafiullah, Md & Rahman, Syed Masiur & Mortoja, Md. Golam & Al-Ramadan, Baqer, 2016. "Role of spatial analysis technology in power system industry: An overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 584-595.
    6. Tamm, Ottar & Tamm, Toomas, 2020. "Verification of a robust method for sizing and siting the small hydropower run-of-river plant potential by using GIS," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 153-159.
    7. Balkhair, Khaled S. & Rahman, Khalil Ur, 2017. "Sustainable and economical small-scale and low-head hydropower generation: A promising alternative potential solution for energy generation at local and regional scale," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 378-391.
    8. Vincenzo Sammartano & Lorena Liuzzo & Gabriele Freni, 2019. "Identification of Potential Locations for Run-of-River Hydropower Plants Using a GIS-Based Procedure," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Marco Rogna, 2019. "A First-Phase Screening Device for Site Selection of Large-Scale Solar Plants with an Application to Italy," BEMPS - Bozen Economics & Management Paper Series BEMPS57, Faculty of Economics and Management at the Free University of Bozen.
    10. Gerardo Alcalá & Luis Fernando Grisales-Noreña & Quetzalcoatl Hernandez-Escobedo & Jose Javier Muñoz-Criollo & J. D. Revuelta-Acosta, 2021. "SHP Assessment for a Run-of-River (RoR) Scheme Using a Rectangular Mesh Sweeping Approach (MSA) Based on GIS," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Scaramuzzino, Chiara & Garegnani, Giulia & Zambelli, Pietro, 2019. "Integrated approach for the identification of spatial patterns related to renewable energy potential in European territories," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1-13.
    12. Mishra, Sachin & Singal, S.K. & Khatod, D.K., 2011. "Optimal installation of small hydropower plant—A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 3862-3869.
    13. Anita Kwartnik-Pruc & Aneta Mączyńska, 2022. "Assessing Validity of Employing Surveying Methods to Capture Data on Topography to Determine Hydrological and Topographic Parameters Essential for Selecting Locations for the Construction of Small Hyd," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-41, February.
    14. Sánchez-Lozano, Juan M. & Henggeler Antunes, Carlos & García-Cascales, M. Socorro & Dias, Luis C., 2014. "GIS-based photovoltaic solar farms site selection using ELECTRE-TRI: Evaluating the case for Torre Pacheco, Murcia, Southeast of Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 478-494.
    15. Abdul, Daud & Wenqi, Jiang & Tanveer, Arsalan, 2022. "Prioritization of renewable energy source for electricity generation through AHP-VIKOR integrated methodology," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1018-1032.
    16. Rogna, Marco, 2020. "A first-phase screening method for site selection of large-scale solar plants with an application to Italy," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    17. Gigović, Ljubomir & Pamučar, Dragan & Božanić, Darko & Ljubojević, Srđan, 2017. "Application of the GIS-DANP-MABAC multi-criteria model for selecting the location of wind farms: A case study of Vojvodina, Serbia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 501-521.
    18. Filho, Geraldo Lucio Tiago & Santos, Ivan Felipe Silva dos & Barros, Regina Mambeli, 2017. "Cost estimate of small hydroelectric power plants based on the aspect factor," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 229-238.
    19. Zema, Demetrio Antonio & Nicotra, Angelo & Tamburino, Vincenzo & Zimbone, Santo Marcello, 2016. "A simple method to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of micro hydro power plants in existing irrigation systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 498-506.
    20. Alexandros Korkovelos & Dimitrios Mentis & Shahid Hussain Siyal & Christopher Arderne & Holger Rogner & Morgan Bazilian & Mark Howells & Hylke Beck & Ad De Roo, 2018. "A Geospatial Assessment of Small-Scale Hydropower Potential in Sub-Saharan Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-21, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:216:y:2018:i:c:p:709-723. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.