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Hydropower Suitability Analysis on a Large Scale Level: Inclusion of a Calibration Phase to Support Determination of Model Parameters

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Abstract

The paper presents an approach to the modelling of watercourses or their sections according to and in order to determine their suitability for hydropower water use on a large scale. The method is based on a multi-criteria analysis approach which in addition to existing guidelines defines and describes in detail the main stages for model establishment and hydropower suitability analysis. Since hydropower planning stands in direct conflict with other ecological water-related objectives, evaluation of suitability is based on two main criteria, which are supported with the belonging criteria. The first main criterion is based on evaluation of watercourses by their attractiveness for hydropower water use; the second one on evaluation of watercourses according to their ecological state or value. To support proper determination of unknown model parameters (e.g. weights of selected criteria) the paper also presents an upgrade of general multi-criteria analysis process with a calibration stage, which can efficiently upgrade in cases when calibration data is available. The proposed method was tested and discussed on a real case study with three dislocated Slovenian Alpine watercourses, where weights of preselected criteria and some thresholds of performance functions were selected as model variables and calibrated.

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Acknowledgments

The work presented herein is also based on the data, informatics tool development support and cooperation provided by various competent authorities within two projects co-financed by EU programmes, SHARE (www.share-alpinerivers.eu/) and SEE Hydropower (www.seehydropower.eu/). We are grateful to all participating partners and stakeholders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Fluid Mechanics, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Hajdrihova 28, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Sašo Šantl & Franci Steinman

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  1. Sašo Šantl
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  2. Franci Steinman
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Correspondence to Sašo Šantl.

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Šantl, S., Steinman, F. Hydropower Suitability Analysis on a Large Scale Level: Inclusion of a Calibration Phase to Support Determination of Model Parameters. Water Resour Manage 29, 109–123 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0830-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0830-9

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