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Impact of Hydropower on Carbon Emissions and River Ecosystem Protection
December 7, 2022 @ 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Construction of major reservoirs and dams is nothing new. While their construction in some countries has slowed down or stopped ( i.e., United States), many nations especially in developing world is continuing. These structures play an important role in regulating river flow and serving multiple purposes including flood control, water supply and power generation among others. With respect to power generation, hydropower is one of the cleanest sources. However, the conversation about the pros and cons of major reservoirs and the tradeoff between their beneficial role and their adverse environmental impact has continued for decades and will likely continue in the future.
With concern about climate change, the debate within the environmental community has gradually been shifting towards the tradeoff between reduction of greenhouse gases and the impact on river ecosystem.
Our first virtual Rosenberg Forum of 2022-2023 will address this issue with the following objectives:
To overview the roles of hydropower in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in achieving carbon neutrality
To examine the impact of hydropower plants on river ecosystem and to review the effectiveness of associated conservation measures
To discuss how hydropower development can help in achieving UN Sustainability Development Goals
Agenda
07:55 AM Zoom Room Opens
08:00 Welcome
Glenda Humiston, Vice President, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources
Soroosh Sorooshian, Forum Chair and Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California Irvine
Session moderated by: Qingyun Duan, College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University
8:10 The Role of Hydropower in a Decarbonized Power System
Samuel Bockenhauer, HydroWIRES Initiative Lead/Hydropower Technology Manager, US Department of Energy
8:25 Hydropower Plants – Carbon Neutral Electricity Generation
Stefan Riedelbauch, Professor and Director, Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machinery, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
8:45 Ecohydrological Effects of River Damming and Adaptive Management
Qiuwen Chen, Professor and Director, Center of Eco-Environmental Research, Nanjing Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, Nanjing China
9:05 Challenges to Modeling the GHG Footprint of Hydropower reservoirs
Carly Hansen, Water Resources Engineer, Oak Ridge National Lab, US Department of Energy
9:25 Q&A/Discussion – Moderated by:
Christina Babbitt, Program Manager, Innovation & Sustainability, Starbucks Global Supply Chain
Soroosh Sorooshian, Forum Chair and Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science, University of California Irvine
10:00 Adjourn