Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 572 |
| Journal | Water |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jul 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Small-scale hydropower is a robust and reliable form of sustainable energy supply in remote areas. On the one hand, the potential for hydropower generation depends on the specific climate in a given place, and precipitation above all. On the other hand, such potential also depends on the catchment's characteristics, e.g., topography, land use, and soils. In the absence of discharge measurements, the available river flow for hydropower production can be estimated in the form of a flow duration curve based on these variables. In this study, the lumped rainfall-runoff method by Crawford and Thurin (1981) was modified to calculate a flow duration curve with a daily time step for an ungauged catchment in Nicaragua. Satisfactory results could be obtained by calibrating the method with the aid of a few discharge measurements. Best results were obtained with a parameter set for groundwater flow and recharge to groundwater from excess soil moisture of 0.014 and 0.6, respectively. Considering the climate and catchment characteristics of the study site, this parameterization can be physically reasoned.
Keywords
- Daily time steps, Flow duration curve, Lumped rainfall-runoff method, Micro-hydropower, Nicaragua, Ungauged catchments
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
- Social Sciences(all)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Aquatic Science
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Biochemistry
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Water, Vol. 9, No. 8, 572, 31.07.2017.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Derivation of Flow Duration Curves to Estimate Hydropower Generation Potential in Data-Scarce Regions
AU - Reichl, Fabian
AU - Hack, Jochen
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2017/7/31
Y1 - 2017/7/31
N2 - Small-scale hydropower is a robust and reliable form of sustainable energy supply in remote areas. On the one hand, the potential for hydropower generation depends on the specific climate in a given place, and precipitation above all. On the other hand, such potential also depends on the catchment's characteristics, e.g., topography, land use, and soils. In the absence of discharge measurements, the available river flow for hydropower production can be estimated in the form of a flow duration curve based on these variables. In this study, the lumped rainfall-runoff method by Crawford and Thurin (1981) was modified to calculate a flow duration curve with a daily time step for an ungauged catchment in Nicaragua. Satisfactory results could be obtained by calibrating the method with the aid of a few discharge measurements. Best results were obtained with a parameter set for groundwater flow and recharge to groundwater from excess soil moisture of 0.014 and 0.6, respectively. Considering the climate and catchment characteristics of the study site, this parameterization can be physically reasoned.
AB - Small-scale hydropower is a robust and reliable form of sustainable energy supply in remote areas. On the one hand, the potential for hydropower generation depends on the specific climate in a given place, and precipitation above all. On the other hand, such potential also depends on the catchment's characteristics, e.g., topography, land use, and soils. In the absence of discharge measurements, the available river flow for hydropower production can be estimated in the form of a flow duration curve based on these variables. In this study, the lumped rainfall-runoff method by Crawford and Thurin (1981) was modified to calculate a flow duration curve with a daily time step for an ungauged catchment in Nicaragua. Satisfactory results could be obtained by calibrating the method with the aid of a few discharge measurements. Best results were obtained with a parameter set for groundwater flow and recharge to groundwater from excess soil moisture of 0.014 and 0.6, respectively. Considering the climate and catchment characteristics of the study site, this parameterization can be physically reasoned.
KW - Daily time steps
KW - Flow duration curve
KW - Lumped rainfall-runoff method
KW - Micro-hydropower
KW - Nicaragua
KW - Ungauged catchments
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026728318&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/w9080572
DO - 10.3390/w9080572
M3 - Article
VL - 9
JO - Water
JF - Water
SN - 2073-4441
IS - 8
M1 - 572
ER -