Assessing Hydropower Potential under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways Scenarios Using Integrated Assessment Modelling

The world is facing a global sustainability crisis affecting environmental systems and society. Addressing these issues requires a multi-dimensional approach that can integrate energy, water, and environment Systems, as well as provide scientific policy advice. In this study, an updated version of a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Calheiros, Tomás|||0000-0002-8240-3502, Beça, Pedro|||0000-0003-3821-0807, Capela Lourenço, Tiago|||0000-0002-8796-5993, Eggler, Lukas, Mediavilla, Margarita|||0000-0002-9898-7573, Ferreras Alonso, Noelia|||0000-0003-2843-6853, Ramos, Iván|||0000-0002-6296-2235, Samsó, Roger|||0000-0003-0348-3047, Distefano, Tiziano|||0000-0002-1593-6480, Pastor, Amandine V|||0000-0003-4526-7705
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:290413
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/290413
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/su16041548
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Hydropower potential
IAM (Integrated Assessment Models)
SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways)
Renewable energy
Climate change impacts
Mitigation and adaptation
Descripción
Sumario:The world is facing a global sustainability crisis affecting environmental systems and society. Addressing these issues requires a multi-dimensional approach that can integrate energy, water, and environment Systems, as well as provide scientific policy advice. In this study, an updated version of an Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) was used, together with new data compatible with Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) projections, to significantly improve the work developed before. SSP climate data (temperature, precipitation, and total radiative forcing) and socioeconomic data (population and GDP) were loaded into the IAM, together with different scenario parameters. By analyzing varying socioeconomic scenarios, mitigation efforts, and adaptation strategies, this study assesses their impact on primary energy demand and, consequently, their impact on hydropower potential production. Our results show diverse energy paths, strongly dependent on the future scenario. Energy demand could increase up to 160%; however, several projections foresee a decline in hydropower production to minus 46% due to both climate change and socioeconomic transformation. Our findings highlight the importance of considering a range of potential future scenarios in energy planning and policy development. The varied outcomes across the considered scenarios emphasize the need for flexibility in strategies to accommodate for uncertainties and address the challenges posed by divergent trajectories in hydropower use and renewable energy shares.