PICO
This session solicits academics and practitioners contributions that explore the use of hydropower and storage technologies to support the transition to low-carbon electricity systems. We specifically encourage interdisciplinary teams of hydrologists, meteorologists, ecologist, power system engineers, and economists to present on case studies and discuss collaboration with environmental and energy policymakers.
Questions of interest include:
- Prediction of water availability and storage capabilities for hydropower production
- Prediction and quantification of the space-time dependences and the positive/negative feedbacks between wind/solar energies, water cycle and hydropower
- Energy, land use and water supply interactions during transitions
- Policy requirements or climate strategies needed to manage and mitigate risks in the transition
- Energy production impacts on ecosystems such as hydropeaking effects on natural flow regimes.
This session has the support of the a) Cost Action : Pan-European Network for Sustainable Hydropower (PEN@Hydropower), and b) European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), that established the joint program “Hydropower” to facilitate research, promote hydropower and enable sustainable electricity production. Further information can be found here:
https://www.pen-hydropower.eu/
https://www.eera-set.eu/eera-joint-programmes-jps/list-of-jps/hydropower/
While Hydropower is cost-efficient, reliable, and almost carbon-free, its development in remote Arctic and Alpine regions implies a complex interplay of social, economic, and environmental impacts that extend far beyond technical energy generation. This study employs a comparative case analysis of two major facilities, i) the Kárahnjúkar Plant (690 MW capacity) in Iceland and ii) the Reisseck-Malta hydropower complex (1.1 GW capacity) in Austria, to critically assess the social, economic, and environmental implications of remote mountain hydropower. Both plants generate significant energy, which is supplied to the national grid, but are situated in sparsely populated, ecologically sensitive mountain regions.
Socially, both regions struggle with long-term trends of declining and aging local populations, a dynamic that large-scale infrastructure projects rarely reverse. Economically, the plants operate with high technical and financial efficiency at the national level; however, questions remain regarding the equitable distribution of benefits, as local communities may experience limited direct economic prosperity from the projects. Power plant operators have implemented large-scale projects to minimize, mitigate, and compensate for environmental concerns, including habitat fragmentation, altered river regimes, and landscape modification, with the objective of achieving a net-positive ecological outcome.
Based on this comparative case analysis, a holistic "sustainable energyscape" framework is proposed. The proposed framework conceptualizes the landscape surrounding the power plants as an integrated space where societal needs, energy production, and ecological health are co-managed to achieve synergistic outcomes. By intentionally aligning remote hydropower development with robust local value creation and rigorous environmental stewardship, such a framework can guide the path toward truly sustainable and prosperous societies in energy-intensive futures.
How to cite: Finger, D. C.: The Remote Energy Dilemma: Balancing Hydropower, People, and Nature in the Alps and Arctic, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21003, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21003, 2026.
Many countries are increasing the share of variable renewable energy sources (VRES) in their energy mix, as part of their climate change (CC) mitigation strategy. Coupling solar photovoltaics (PV) with reservoir-based hydropower (HP) is a promising solution to facilitate the introduction of higher amounts of intermittent PV power in the electrical grid, thanks to storage capacity provided by HP. However, these resources are themselves vulnerable to CC: climate-induced modifications of the hydrological cycle may affect HP operations, whereas the projected air temperature increase badly impacts the efficiency of PV converters. Few research works focused on CC impacts on combined HP-PV operation, hence possible consequences for solar-hydro hybrids are still unclear for many regions, such as the Alps.
We evaluate the impacts of CC on a hybrid HP-PV plant in the Swiss pre-Alpine region, consisting of an existing pumped-storage HP plant, complemented by a fictional FPV plant. Simulations are run at hourly temporal resolution according to a top-down approach, involving an impact modelling chain forced by climate variables from a multi-model ensemble of 39 EURO-CORDEX-based GCM-RCM runs covering three emission scenarios; coherent projections for the reservoir inflows are obtained through a hydrological model, developed using the semi-distributed PREVAH modelling system.
We compare a reference setup (with no PV to support HP) to two hybrid setups: in the first one solar energy, if available, contributes to fulfil the demand and excess PV power is possibly stored through pumping; the second setup is similar, but it also includes the possibility to increase the legally prescribed environmental flow using part of the water which is not used for HP generation thanks to PV power contribution.
Simulations indicate an increase of HP production during winter and a decrease in spring and summer, resulting from a climate-induced shift in runoff seasonality. Annual PV energy yield might slightly decrease, mainly as a consequence of air temperature increase; the seasonal pattern of PV power available, instead, is projected not to undergo remarkable changes, the highest potential being concentrated in spring and summer. There exists a complementarity between changes in runoff seasonality in the study area and the seasonal pattern for PV power available, hence a properly designed PV plant might be able to compensate for most of the projected reduction in spring and summer HP generation. We also found that the introduction of PV might have a positive impact on reservoir management and might allow to increase downstream environmental flow without significantly affecting the performance of the power plant.
How to cite: Micocci, D., Bragalli, C., Toth, E., Wechsler, T., and Zappa, M.: Vulnerabilities and opportunities of solar-hydro hybridization under climate change: a case study in the Swiss Alps, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-345, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-345, 2026.
Energy resources are necessary for the survival and advancement of human civilization. But since the industrial revolution, using too many fossil fuels has caused greenhouse gas (GHG) levels in the atmosphere to keep rising. Hydropower is a flexible and low-carbon way to make electricity, but climate change is likely to affect hydropower systems by changing hydrologic regimes. This study examines the effects of climate change on hydropower production and electricity consumption in the Beas River Basin, India. To assess the state's current hydropower generation capacity and identify future or upcoming government-supported projects, data was collected from the State Directorate of Energy (DoE). According to data obtained from the Directorate of Energy, the state has identified 983 hydropower projects with a total potential capacity of 22,855 MW. However, as of now, only 181 projects have been commissioned, contributing approximately 11,285 MW power generation. This indicates that a significant portion of the hydropower potential more than 75%, remains untapped. The remaining projects are either under construction, in planning stages or awaiting approval. Future projections of hydropower generation are developed using climate projections from the ensemble mean of eleven GCMs to simultaneously drive a physics based hydrological model (SWAT+) and a statistically based hydropower model for estimating the future power generation of major hydropower plants in the basin, along with an electricity demand model that accounts for various factors. The results indicate that, under climate change, projected hydropower generation in the Beas River Basin is expected to increase substantially exceeding future electricity demand and has the potential to supply surplus energy to other regions. This high supply combined with lower demand is projected to reduce GHG emissions significantly, decreasing MMT CO₂e per year within a few years.
How to cite: Raaj, S., Gupta, V., and Singh, V.: Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Hydropower Generation, Energy Demand, and GHG Emissions in the Beas River Basin, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1008, 2026.
Multi-objective reservoir optimization plays a pivotal role in managing water scarcity and growing uncertainty in hydrology under climate change, especially in sensitive mountain environments. While these frameworks are effective in weighing competing uses such as hydropower production and water supply, they often provide a aggregated representation of environmental impacts. In particular, operationally driven alterations of flow regimes (hydropeaking) and downstream water quality, especially water temperature, are seldom incorporated as explicit objectives, despite representing some of the most critical stressors on riverine ecosystems.
Hydropeaking, arising from rapid sub-daily variations in turbine releases, is one of the most severe anthropogenic stressors in regulated Alpine rivers, impacting habitat availability, fish behavior and survival, and benthic communities. In parallel, reservoir operations substantially modify downstream water temperature through flow regulation and withdrawal, directly influencing dissolved oxygen, metabolic processes, and habitat suitability. Although these pressures operate through different mechanisms and timescales, both are directly controlled by reservoir management decisions.
To explicitly incorporate these ecosystem challenges, we develop a sub-daily simulation and optimization framework that integrates both hydropeaking and thermal dynamics directly into operational planning. Thermal dynamics are simulated using a one-dimensional, density-stratified Lagrangian model, which resolves the vertical thermal structure of the reservoir and its impact on release temperature with limited computational burden. Environmental objectives include minimizing (i) hydropeaking metrics that quantify the magnitude and frequency of sub-daily flow fluctuations, and (ii) downstream water temperature exceedance from natural conditions. These are optimized jointly with objectives related to hydropower revenue and irrigation reliability.
The framework is applied to the Ceresole reservoir (North-West Italy) using a closed-loop optimization approach. Policies are optimized using an Evolutionary Multi-Objective Direct Policy Search (EMODPS), permitting adaptive decision-making that responds dynamically to system states rather than prescribing pre-settled release trajectories.
Results show that extensive accounting for both hydropeaking and thermal objectives leads to tangibly different optimal operating strategies compared to traditional formulations, revealing clear trade-offs as well as non-obvious synergies between economic and ecological goals. The proposed framework provides a transparent and transferable approach for integrating operationally relevant environmental constraints into reservoir optimization, supporting more ecosystem-oriented hydropower management in Alpine river systems.
How to cite: Alfano, M. E., Zaniolo, M., Savoldi, L., and Poggi, D.: Multi-Objective Reservoir Management under Environmental Constraints: Hydropeaking and Thermal Impacts in Alpine Rivers, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-4305, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-4305, 2026.
Global temperatures have increased markedly since the Industrial Revolution, with a clear breakpoint identified during this period. The most recent decade (2011–2020) has recorded progressively higher temperatures compared with the pre-industrial reference period (1850–1900). These increases, driven by anthropogenic climate change, are also reflected in the growing occurrence of extreme events, particularly heatwaves (HWs).
Within this context, Portugal, characterised by a Mediterranean climate, is among the European regions most vulnerable to climate change. These alterations can impact multiple sectors, including water resources dependent on reservoirs, such as hydropower generation. A significant consequence is the intensification of chlorophyll a blooms during heatwave events, which can compromise water quality in reservoirs of national importance.
This study aims to analyse heatwaves over mainland Portugal in 2025, with a focus on the country’s largest reservoir, Alqueva, and assesses the potential implications for chlorophyll-a dynamics. The year 2025 was the third warmest on record, following 2023 and 2024.
The Alqueva Reservoir is located in southern Portugal, has a gross capacity of 4,150 hm³ and a flooded area of 250 km² at full supply level (FSL). Operational since 2002 and situated within the Guadiana River basin, a transboundary catchment of approximately 55,289 km² across Spain and Portugal with mean annual precipitation of 593 mm, the reservoir is a major source of irrigation, drinking water, and hydropower production, with an installed capacity of 520 MW.
Heatwave analyses for 2025 were conducted using the ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset (0.1° × 0.1° resolution). Hourly 2 m air temperature data were used to derive daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperatures. Heatwaves were identified using ERA5-Land reanalysis data, with events defined as ≥3 consecutive days with Tmax ≥ 30 °C and Tmin ≥ 22 °C (definition of heatwave frequency). Three heatwaves occurred between June and August 2025 (Figure 1).
Chlorophyll-a concentrations in the Alqueva Reservoir were estimated from Sentinel-2 Level-2A imagery, which provides atmospherically corrected surface reflectance at 10 m resolution. Images were selected from the Copernicus Data Space Browser with less than 10% cloud cover. To evaluate the effects of heatwaves on chlorophyll-a, with events selected based on data availability, concentrations were quantified before and during each event using the Three-Band Method (TBM), calculated from Sentinel-2 bands B4, B5, and B6.
Figure 1. HWs identified in 2025 over the Alqueva Reservoir.
The preliminary results showed a bloom of chlorophyll-a during the heatwaves (Figure 2), highlighting the impact of elevated temperatures on water quality. The methodology could be extended to identify other heatwave events based on pre-established definitions in order to assess whether blooms occur in a similar manner to those detected using the heatwave frequency metric.
Figure 2. Chlorophyll-a in the Alqueva Reservoir before and during the three heatwaves of 2025 (HW1–HW3). Left panels: before each heatwave; right panels: during each heatwave.
Acknowledgments: This research was fully funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under Grant 2023.04248.BD and the CERIS research unit project UID/6438/2025. Additional support was provided by COST Action CA21104.
How to cite: Silva, C., Patro, R., and Portela, M. M.: Influence of heatwaves on chlorophyll-a dynamics in a Portuguese large reservoir using Sentinel-2 imagery, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21011, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21011, 2026.
Hydropower is a mature and cost-competitive renewable energy source and plays a central role in the European electricity system by providing flexibility, reserves, and grid stability. However, expanding hydropower generation capacity and operational capabilities is increasingly constrained by environmental regulations, competing water uses, and limited opportunities for new infrastructure development. This study explores the feasibility of deploying hydrokinetic turbines within tailrace channels downstream of hydropower dams as an infrastructure-efficient opportunity to incrementally expand energy production at existing facilities or enable generation at Non-Powered Dams (NPDs), while leveraging regulated flow releases and existing assets. Hydrokinetic turbines harness the kinetic energy of water currents, using the same physical mechanism as wind turbines, and can complement conventional hydropower without requiring additional storage or major civil works.
Tailrace channels offer favourable conditions for hydrokinetic applications due to their fast-moving currents, predictable operating regimes, proximity to grid interconnections, and limited incremental environmental footprint. However, energy extraction introduces additional flow resistance that may induce a backwater effect in subcritical flows, potentially reducing the available hydraulic head at the upstream powerhouse and offsetting net energy gains. To quantify this tradeoff, we propose a simple one-dimensional momentum balance approach to estimate the induced water-level increase as a function of tailrace hydraulics, turbine operating conditions, and channel blockage. The model is non-dimensional and geometry-agnostic, enabling rapid screening across a wide range of sites, and is validated against laboratory and field-scale measurements.
By coupling this formulation with traditional backwater calculations, we show how turbine siting distance can be optimized to maximize net power production while remaining within tailrace boundaries. This approach enables a system-level evaluation of hydrokinetic integration that explicitly balances marginal hydropower losses against hydrokinetic gains. Results suggest that tailrace hydrokinetic deployment can provide incremental generation and operational flexibility using existing assets, supporting grid resilience and renewable integration without requiring major modifications to hydropower plant operation or additional storage infrastructure.
How to cite: Musa, M. and Tseng, C.-Y.: Expanding Hydropower Capabilities Using Hydrokinetic Turbines in Tailrace Channels: Feasibility, Site Optimization, and System Implications , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13125, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13125, 2026.
Under a changing environment, the lack of precise alignment between the multi-driving mechanisms of spatiotemporal runoff evolution and the regulation of reservoir group, coupled with the frequent neglect of uncertainties in attribution analysis, results in a logical disconnect between "driver identification and regulatory response". To address this gap, this study integrates the theories of streamflow change attribution and reservoir group adaptive scheduling, proposing an integrated methodological framework of "uncertainty quantification - precise driver identification - targeted regulation design". The core of this framework comprises two interconnected modules: First, a distributed hydrological model (SWAT) is coupled with the Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) algorithm. Through Bayesian inference, the posterior distribution of model parameters is obtained, and combined with multi-route attribution analysis, the nonlinear contributions and uncertainties of climatic factors (precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind speed) and human activities (land use/cover change, LUCC) to streamflow are quantified, clarifying the positive/negative effects and spatial heterogeneity of each driving factor. Second, guided by the attribution results to target key drivers and their uncertainties, a three-dimensional adaptive scheduling system of "supply-demand-linkage" is constructed. Using a multi-objective optimization model solved by the Adaptive Hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization (AHPSO) algorithm, supply-side (cascade joint optimization, rainwater and flood resource utilization), demand-side (water-saving behavior adjustment), and supply-demand linkage regulatory measures are designed to achieve synergistic response to multi-dimensional driving forces. This framework has been applied to the Upper Yangtze River Basin, verifying its effectiveness in bridging attribution analysis and adaptive scheduling. It breaks the traditional disconnect between the two fields, providing scientific and operable methodological support for the dynamic management of water resources systems under changing environments, and can be widely extended to the collaborative optimization of reservoir group systems in complex river basins.
How to cite: Zhang, Y.: From Runoff Change Drivers Identification to Targeted Regulation: An Integrated Framework for Reservoir Group Adaptive Scheduling, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-15897, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-15897, 2026.
Hydropower remains one of the most reliable and flexible renewable energy sources and continues to play a vital role in stabilising electricity systems with growing shares of wind and solar power. Yet, in practice, hydropower operation is increasingly shaped by non-power objectives such as environmental flow requirements, water supply security, flood management, and ecosystem protection. These competing demands, combined with climate-driven hydrological variability and evolving electricity market structures, limit the extent to which hydropower can respond to price signals and support renewable integration. Addressing these challenges calls for holistic, policy-relevant approaches that explicitly recognise the interdependencies between water, energy, and ecosystems.
This study explores how hybridising conventional reservoir-based hydropower with downstream hydrokinetic energy recovery can enhance operational flexibility without compromising water-resource or environmental constraints. A nonlinear optimisation framework is developed to co-ordinate hydropower generation, tailrace hydrokinetic extraction, and grid interaction under time-of-use electricity tariffs. The model explicitly represents reservoir dynamics, climatic drivers (inflow, precipitation, evaporation), and mandatory environmental flow releases, while capturing the site-specific relationship between hydropower discharge and tailrace flow velocity. A rolling-horizon formulation is adopted to reflect short-term operational planning and evolving hydrological conditions.
The approach is demonstrated using an existing hydropower plant in southern Poland, where limited hydrokinetic recovery (approximately 3% of main discharge) can be achieved without affecting upstream hydraulic performance or ecological flow regimes. Results show that coordinated operation improves reservoir stability, reduces reliance on peak-period grid imports, and lowers annual operational energy costs by 1.81% compared to conventional operation. Over the plant lifetime, the hybrid configuration yields a 3.95% reduction in total costs with a break-even period of approximately 3.7 years. Sensitivity analyses highlight electricity pricing and financial parameters as stronger drivers of system performance than hydrokinetic capital costs.
Overall, the study demonstrates that hybrid hydropower-hydrokinetic systems offer a practical and policy-compatible pathway to strengthen the water-energy-ecosystem nexus, enhance climate resilience, and unlock additional flexibility from existing hydropower infrastructure in low-carbon electricity transitions.
How to cite: Kusakana, K.: Enhancing hydropower flexibility through tailrace hydrokinetic energy recovery: A Water-Energ-Ecosystem Nexus Perspective, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19394, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19394, 2026.
In cold climate regions, hydropower operations depend on predictable snowmelt and stable ice conditions. However, climate change is disrupting these patterns through earlier snowmelt, shorter ice-influenced period, and rising winter inflows. These shifts challenge existing reservoir rules and complicate efforts to align hydropower production with evolving seasonal energy demand. Despite extensive research, there remains a lack of synthesized data specifically addressing these challenges in cold climate regions. To address this, we conducted a systematic review of 103 peer-reviewed studies and technical reports, complemented by insights from operators, experts, and regulators from regions with snow/glacial-influenced basins. The inclusion criteria focused on studies examining hydropower operations, climate change hydropower adaptation, and cold-climate or Nordic conditions, while the exclusion criteria included studies written in non-English languages, those centered on tropical, arid, or semi-arid hydropower systems, and studies lacking relevance to operational or environmental aspects. The review focused on (i) consequences of climate-driven hydrological and cryosphere changes for hydropower operations, (ii) vulnerability of hydropower intakes, spillways, and dams to changing hydrological and ice conditions, and (iii) adaptation strategies, including flexible rule curves, multi-objective optimization, and ice control methods. The review indicates that climate change is already undermining hydropower resilience in cold-climate regions, altering runoff seasonality, shifting ice regimes, and increasing hydrological variability. Earlier snowmelt, higher winter inflows, and reduced summer runoff commonly lead to seasonal mismatches between water availability, electricity demand, and market conditions. At the same time, ice-related processes such as frazil ice formation, intake clogging, and ice jams remain major operational risks. Although some studies suggest potential increases in annual hydropower production, these gains are often offset by increased spill losses, constrained summer generation, and growing conflicts between energy production, flood control, and environmental flow requirements. This work provides a structured basis for enhancing operational resilience by integrating scientific evidence with stakeholder perspectives.
How to cite: Ahmed, R., Kiehle, J., Bamgboye, T., Garmdareh, A. S., Virk, Z., Veijalainen, N., Marttila, H., and Haghighi, A. T.: Hydropower in Cold Climates Under Climate Change: A Systematic Review, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-3141, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-3141, 2026.
Hydropower, the global leading renewable energy source (one-sixth of worldwide electricity), is increasingly vulnerable to environmental and anthropogenic pressures. This study assesses their impacts through a systematic review and local scale studies. A systematic review carried out with a PRISMA-based screening of 1,516 Web of Science articles revealed a publication bias towards China and Brazil (24% of studies, 41% of global capacity), with a climate-focused research dominating over land use, sediment dynamics, or policy analysis. Strong correlations between precipitation or inflow variation was found, reflecting this bias. A mapping of climate, hydrology and energy model chains across structural complexity was realized. No cross-study robustness could be established. Almost no studies encompass all environmental factors. Then, to address the identified bias towards climate-focused approaches, we adopted a multi-scale, multi-factor methodology focusing on two case studies: Colombia and France, where hydropower represents approximately 68% and 20% of their total national installed capacity, respectively. In Colombia, we assessed the national-scale impact of ENSO-driven interannual climate variability on hydropower generation. Complementarily, we conducted high-resolution sediment core analyses from lakes supplying the Guatapé/El Peñol (Colombia) and Monts d’Orb (France) dams. Using a combination of fallout radionuclide dating, and multi-proxy analyses (relative density, granulometry, XRF), we reconstructed sediment dynamics to disentagle the combined effects of climate variability, land use change, and policy constrains on hydropower generation. Overall, this work reveals persistent bias and blindspots in hydropower vulnerability assessments, showing the importance of multi-scale, multi-factor approaches that integrate climate, land use, sediment dynamics, and policy constraints.
How to cite: Hazet, P., Evrard, O., Quesada, B., Foucher, A., and Avila, A.: Hydropower generation under anthropogenic disturbances: A global review and case studies in France and Colombia., EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13039, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13039, 2026.
Close to 90% of the electricity production in Norway originate from hydropower. To match the energy supply with the demand water is stored in reservoirs in summer when reservoir inflow is high and production is high, and released in winter when the demand is the highest and inflow is small. As the management of hydropower reservoirs aims to maximize income, the day-to-day decision of power production, and reservoir release, is based on electricity prices and constrained by minimum and maximum reservoir water levels as well as minimum flow requirements downstream.
As a part of the HorizonEurope project STARS4Water, we aim to assess how climate changes might impact reservoir inflows, hydropower production, reservoir operations in the Drammen River basin in southern Norway. In particular we have analyzed the climate change impacts on the seasonality and year-to-year variability of energy inflow to the reservoirs, reservoirs water levels and how much of changes in energy inflow impacts the power production. To assess climate change impacts, downscaled scenarios from several combinations of GCMs, RCMs, and bias correction algorithms from both Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) and CMIP6 are used. We have used two gridded hydrologic models (HBV and LISFLOOD) to simulate runoff for a reference period and two future periods driven by the downscaled climate projections. Thereafter, the energy marked model EOPS (One-area Power-market Simulator) has been used to simulate reservoir operations. EOPS is used for sub-areas or river basins, has a detailed representation of the hydropower system, including environmental restrictions, and requires inflows and energy prices as inputs. Based on the outputs from the hydrological models and EOPS, the changes in water balance, reservoir inflow, water levels, and – outflows, and energy production are analysed and compared.
How to cite: Engeland, K., Gelati, E., Hegdahl, T. J., Huang, S., and Veie, C. A.: Climate change impacts on water availability and hydropower production – a case study from Drammen river basin in Norway , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20631, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20631, 2026.
We present Open River Network and Hydropower Cascade Modelling, a Python-based framework implemented in Jupyter Notebooks for integrated analysis and simulation of hydrological dynamics within river networks and hydropower dam cascades. The river network model supports data input from gridded datasets and time series observations for lumped and distributed hydrological modelling to simulate river discharges across subbasins in the river basin. A lake routing routine based on a modified Puls method has been incorporated, allowing integration of lake bathymetry and stage-discharge relationships. River routing employs kinematic wave routing based on 1D Saint-Venant equations to route discharges between river reaches. Calibration routines are embedded within the framework, supporting simple global shuffled optimisation algorithms and evolutionary algorithms. Building on the river network model, the hydropower cascade model includes two submodules: (i) a river network analysis module that computes the dynamic degree of regulation by hydropower dams, resulting downstream inflow alteration, and local degree of regulation introduced by each dam in the cascade; and (ii) an operational cascade module that implements user-defined reservoir regulation rules for long-term scheduling and short-term operational flexibility of both storage and run-of-river hydropower cascades, with a lag function to preserve the hydraulic connection between dams. This modelling framework provides a comprehensive hydrological analysis of heavily regulated river basins with multiple dams. Furthermore, it supports the simulation of operational and regulation dynamics across regulated hydropower cascades within river networks. This work has been conducted as part of the Interreg Aurora’s RE-HYDRO project.
How to cite: Nakigudde, C. K., Patro, E. R., and Haghighi, A. T.: Open River Network and Hydropower Cascade Modelling: A Python Framework for Integrated Hydrological Modelling and Simulation of Regulation Dynamics, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13849, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13849, 2026.
