IMPACTS OF INCREASED PUMPED-STORAGE HYDROPOWER OPERATIONS ON TWO NORWEGIAN RESERVOIRS

The transition to a renewable energy system requires an increased energy storage capacity to balance the intermittent and not fully predictable production. Pumped-storage (PS) hydropower (HP) offers a flexible and carbon-neutral storage option through increased bidirectional water volume exchanges between reservoirs, whose impact is not yet fully understood. We investigated the effects on two case study reservoirs in Norway, planned for conversion from traditional to PS plants, using an interdisciplinary approach and focusing on three core processes. First, we explored the response of the thermal stratification to PS operations with a 2D hydro-thermodynamic model and in-situ monitoring. Second, we analyzed how the water level variations influence the extent of the littoral zone affected by periodic wetting and drying, by integrating hydro-morphological modeling, future climate scenarios and environmental indexes. The water level data for both these analyses were generated with a medium-term optimal price-based scheduling model. Finally, we studied the response of the ice cover to the water level fluctuations by combining a simple mechanical model and the analysis of in-situ and satellite data. Our preliminary results reveal a complex framework, where the modulation of the HP operations determines the nature and the magnitude of the impacts. This highlights the need to include environmental indices besides economic efficiency in the optimization process of HP operations.

Primary Presenter: Francesca Hinegk, University of Trento (hinegk.francesca@unitn.it)

Authors:

Francesca Hinegk, University of Trento  (francesca.hinegk@unitn.it)

Gaia Donini, University of Trento  (gaia.donini@unitn.it)

Anna Pinelli, University of Trento  (pinellianna97@gmail.com)

Ana Adeva Bustos, SINTEF Energy Research  (ana.adeva.bustos@sintef.no)

Marco Toffolon, University of Trento  (marco.toffolon@unitn.it)