IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v39y2011i7p4197-4206.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

GHG emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs in tropical and equatorial regions: Review of 20 years of CH4 emission measurements

Author

Listed:
  • Demarty, M.
  • Bastien, J.

Abstract

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from reservoirs have been under the microscope for more a decade now. In particular, the high CH4 emissions reported in warm systems have tarnished the green credentials of hydroelectricity in terms of GHG emissions. Reliable estimates of CH4 emissions are crucial, since CH4 has a greenhouse warming potential of 25 and because, unlike CO2, CH4 emissions should be counted for the entire life cycle of a reservoir. Up to now, the highest CH4 emissions from reservoirs have been measured in warm latitudes, thus adding an argument against the use of hydroelectricity in these regions. However, to our knowledge, GHG emissions have been measured for only 18 of the 741 large dams (>10Â MW, according to the ICOLD register) listed in the tropics. This article reviews the limited scientific information available and concludes that, at this time, no global position can be taken regarding the importance and extent of GHG emissions in warm latitudes.

Suggested Citation

  • Demarty, M. & Bastien, J., 2011. "GHG emissions from hydroelectric reservoirs in tropical and equatorial regions: Review of 20 years of CH4 emission measurements," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 4197-4206, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:7:p:4197-4206
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421511003168
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    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. Philip Fearnside, 2005. "Do Hydroelectric Dams Mitigate Global Warming? The Case of Brazil's CuruÁ-una Dam," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 675-691, October.
    2. Jim Giles, 2006. "Methane quashes green credentials of hydropower," Nature, Nature, vol. 444(7119), pages 524-524, November.
    3. dos Santos, Marco Aurelio & Rosa, Luiz Pinguelli & Sikar, Bohdan & Sikar, Elizabeth & dos Santos, Ednaldo Oliveira, 2006. "Gross greenhouse gas fluxes from hydro-power reservoir compared to thermo-power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 481-488, March.
    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. Ayobami Solomon Oyewo & Javier Farfan & Pasi Peltoniemi & Christian Breyer, 2018. "Repercussion of Large Scale Hydro Dam Deployment: The Case of Congo Grand Inga Hydro Project," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-30, April.
    2. Fearnside, Philip M., 2016. "Environmental and Social Impacts of Hydroelectric Dams in Brazilian Amazonia: Implications for the Aluminum Industry," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 48-65.
    3. 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).
    4. Michels-Brito, Adriane & Rodriguez, Daniel Andrés & Cruz Junior, Wellington Luís & Nildo de Souza Vianna, João, 2021. "The climate change potential effects on the run-of-river plant and the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    5. Briones Hidrovo, Andrei & Uche, Javier & Martínez-Gracia, Amaya, 2017. "Accounting for GHG net reservoir emissions of hydropower in Ecuador," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 209-221.
    6. Zhang, Jin & Xu, Linyu & Li, Xiaojin, 2015. "Review on the externalities of hydropower: A comparison between large and small hydropower projects in Tibet based on the CO2 equivalent," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 176-185.
    7. Taitiya Kenneth Yuguda & Yi Li & Bobby Shekarau Luka & Goziya William Dzarma, 2020. "Incorporating Reservoir Greenhouse Gas Emissions into Carbon Footprint of Sugar Produced from Irrigated Sugarcane in Northeastern Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-24, December.
    8. Araujo, Rafael, 2024. "The value of tropical forests to hydropower," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    9. Quan-Jing Wang & Yong Geng & Xi-Qiang Xia, 2021. "The Impact of Globalization on Forest Growth: Evidence from Multinational Panel Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-19, December.
    10. Alexander T. Dale & André Frossard Pereira de Lucena & Joe Marriott & Bruno Soares Moreira Cesar Borba & Roberto Schaeffer & Melissa M. Bilec, 2013. "Modeling Future Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Impacts of Electricity Supplies in Brazil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(7), pages 1-27, July.
    11. Long Ho & Peter Goethals, 2020. "Research hotspots and current challenges of lakes and reservoirs: a bibliometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 124(1), pages 603-631, July.
    12. Diesendorf, M. & Wiedmann, T., 2020. "Implications of Trends in Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI) for Transitioning to Renewable Electricity," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    13. Bin Fu & Naiwen Li, 2019. "Tradeoff between Hydropower and River Visual Landscape Services in Mountainous Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-20, October.
    14. Leal, Fernando I. & Rego, Erik E. & de Oliveira Ribeiro, Celma, 2019. "Natural gas regulation and policy in Brazil: Prospects for the market expansion and energy integration in Mercosul," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 817-829.
    15. Vega-Coloma, Mabel & Zaror, Claudio A., 2018. "Environmental impact profile of electricity generation in Chile: A baseline study over two decades," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 154-167.
    16. Juan David Alonso-Sanabria & Luis Fernando Melo-Velandia & Daniel Parra-Amado, 2023. "Connecting the Dots: Renewable Energy, Economic Growth, Reforestation, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Colombia," Borradores de Economia 1252, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    17. Song, Cuihong & Gardner, Kevin H. & Klein, Sharon J.W. & Souza, Simone Pereira & Mo, Weiwei, 2018. "Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions from dams in the United States of America," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 945-956.

    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. Gasparatos, Alexandros & Doll, Christopher N.H. & Esteban, Miguel & Ahmed, Abubakari & Olang, Tabitha A., 2017. "Renewable energy and biodiversity: Implications for transitioning to a Green Economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 161-184.
    2. Song, Cuihong & Gardner, Kevin H. & Klein, Sharon J.W. & Souza, Simone Pereira & Mo, Weiwei, 2018. "Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions from dams in the United States of America," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 945-956.
    3. Shirley, Rebekah G. & Word, Jettie, 2018. "Rights, rivers and renewables: Lessons from hydropower conflict in Borneo on the role of cultural politics in energy planning for Small Island Developing States," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 189-199.
    4. Taitiya Kenneth Yuguda & Yi Li & Bobby Shekarau Luka & Goziya William Dzarma, 2020. "Incorporating Reservoir Greenhouse Gas Emissions into Carbon Footprint of Sugar Produced from Irrigated Sugarcane in Northeastern Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-24, December.
    5. Scherer, Laura & Pfister, Stephan, 2016. "Global water footprint assessment of hydropower," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 711-720.
    6. Chen, Xiuzhi & Liu, Chang & van Oel, Pieter & Mergia Mekonnen, Mesfin & Thorp, Kelly R. & Yin, Tuo & Wang, Jinyan & Muhammad, Tahir & Li, Yunkai, 2022. "Water and carbon risks within hydropower development on national scale," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    7. Bianchini, Irineu & da Cunha Santino, Marcela Bianchessi, 2011. "Model parameterization for aerobic decomposition of plant resources drowned during man-made lakes formation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(7), pages 1263-1271.
    8. Ometto, Jean P. & Cimbleris, André C.P. & dos Santos, Marco A. & Rosa, Luiz P. & Abe, Donato & Tundisi, José G. & Stech, José L. & Barros, Nathan & Roland, Fábio, 2013. "Carbon emission as a function of energy generation in hydroelectric reservoirs in Brazilian dry tropical biome," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 109-116.
    9. Lampreia, João & de Araújo, Maria Silvia Muylaert & de Campos, Christiano Pires & Freitas, Marcos Aurélio V. & Rosa, Luiz Pinguelli & Solari, Renzo & Gesteira, Cláudio & Ribas, Rodrigo & Silva, Neílto, 2011. "Analyses and perspectives for Brazilian low carbon technological development in the energy sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(7), pages 3432-3444, September.
    10. Ferreira, Agmar & Kunh, Sheila S. & Fagnani, Kátia C. & De Souza, Tiago A. & Tonezer, Camila & Dos Santos, Geocris Rodrigues & Coimbra-Araújo, Carlos H., 2018. "Economic overview of the use and production of photovoltaic solar energy in brazil," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 181-191.
    11. Williams, A.A. & Simpson, R., 2009. "Pico hydro – Reducing technical risks for rural electrification," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1986-1991.
    12. Fearnside, Philip M., 2016. "Environmental and Social Impacts of Hydroelectric Dams in Brazilian Amazonia: Implications for the Aluminum Industry," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 48-65.
    13. Oliver Hensengerth, 2013. "Chinese hydropower companies and environmental norms in countries of the global South: the involvement of Sinohydro in Ghana’s Bui Dam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 285-300, April.
    14. Xu, Jiuping & Ni, Ting, 2017. "Integrated technological paradigm-based soft paths towards sustainable development of small hydropower," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 623-634.
    15. Emily Benton Hite, 2018. "Political ecology of Costa Rica’s climate policy: contextualizing climate governance," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(4), pages 469-476, December.
    16. Hil Baky, Md. Abdullah & Rahman, Md. Mustafizur & Islam, A.K.M. Sadrul, 2017. "Development of renewable energy sector in Bangladesh: Current status and future potentials," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1184-1197.
    17. Zhang, Jin & Xu, Linyu & Yu, Bing & Li, Xiaojin, 2014. "Environmentally feasible potential for hydropower development regarding environmental constraints," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 552-562.
    18. Denielle Perry & Ian Harrison & Stephannie Fernandes & Sarah Burnham & Alana Nichols, 2021. "Global Analysis of Durable Policies for Free-Flowing River Protections," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-23, February.
    19. Samarasinghe, Nalin & Longtin, Nicole & Fernando, Sandun, 2022. "Performance of Methylococcus capsulatus based microbial and enzymatic proton exchange membrane fuel cells," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 17-27.
    20. Xuerong Li & Faliang Gui & Qingpeng Li, 2019. "Can Hydropower Still Be Considered a Clean Energy Source? Compelling Evidence from a Middle-Sized Hydropower Station in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-13, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    GHG Aquatic emissions Tropics;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:7:p:4197-4206. 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/locate/enpol .

    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.