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Offsetting the greenhouse gas footprint of hydropower with floating solar photovoltaics

Author

Listed:
  • Rafael M. Almeida

    (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
    Indiana University)

  • Areefin-Ul-Hassan Chowdhury

    (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)

  • Hansapani Rodrigo

    (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)

  • Mingxu Li

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Rafael J. P. Schmitt

    (Stanford University
    Stanford University
    Stanford University)

Abstract

Hydropower is typically considered a low-carbon energy source. Yet, because of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their reservoirs, some hydropower facilities exhibit high GHG intensities (that is, emissions per unit of electricity generated). Here we assess the potential for offsetting GHG intensities by combining reservoir-based hydropower with floating solar photovoltaics (FPV), a burgeoning renewable energy technology. We find that technically feasible FPV–hydropower integrations could enable over 50% of the world’s GHG-intensive hydropower plants to achieve low-GHG energy benchmarks. These findings have implications for both project-level hydropower management and broader climate change mitigation strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafael M. Almeida & Areefin-Ul-Hassan Chowdhury & Hansapani Rodrigo & Mingxu Li & Rafael J. P. Schmitt, 2024. "Offsetting the greenhouse gas footprint of hydropower with floating solar photovoltaics," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 7(9), pages 1102-1106, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:7:y:2024:i:9:d:10.1038_s41893-024-01384-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-024-01384-w
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