The International Hydropower Association has launched a new tool designed to aid the hydroelectric power sector more accurately report on the net impact on greenhouse gas emissions from the introduction of reservoirs.
Introduced during IHA’s World Hydropower Congress, which is currently taking place in Addis Ababa, the publicly available, web-based tool is called “G-res”.
CO2 and methane resulting from the decomposition of organic matter in inland bodies of water creates significant atmospheric carbon, IHA said, making it “important not only to accurately estimate the emissions from reservoirs, but also to understand the different pathways and factors controlling them.”
Developers said G-res accounts for net changes in emissions attributable to a reservoir’s introduction throughout its lifetime by accounting for emissions before and after its creation. The tool also accounts for natural emissions that would have previously occurred downstream.
In all, G-res pulls information from more than over 500 empirical measurements from more than 200 reservoirs worldwide, according to IHA.
Data generated by G-res could be used in a number of ways, including by lending institutions evaluating potential investments.
“The development of the G-res tool is a major milestone in the research on greenhouse gas from reservoirs,” World Bank senior hydropower specialist Rikard Liden said. “This is the first scientifically based tool available for planners and designers to quantify reservoir emissions, which is possible to use with the limited data available in the preparation stages of a new dam.
“It will be a great help for the World Bank as it will enable us to estimate the carbon footprints of reservoirs at an early stage of our engagement.”
G-res was developed in cooperation with the University of Quebec at Montreal, the Norwegian Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Natural Resources Institute of Finland.
More information about G-res can be found via IHA’s website here.
