Abstract
Hydropower is the most economically developed renewable energy source in China. In the twenty-first century, the era of clean and low-carbon development, hydropower can meet the continuous growth of energy consumption and help China achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. In 2019, China’s installed hydropower capacity was 358.04 GW, and hydropower consumption was 1.132 × 1016 kJ, with a growth rate of 5.5%, well above the global average of 0.8%. Although China's hydropower achievements are renowned worldwide, hydropower development in China still faces challenges in relation to environmental, technological, economic and social issues. In this paper, we first review the history, achievements and current situation of China’s hydropower development and summarize the specific challenges mentioned above. Then, we take the Dadu River Hydropower Base as a case study. This project ranks fifth among China’s 13 largest hydropower bases, and the construction of 14 cascade hydropower stations was completed in December 2020, accounting for 61.3% of the total planned installed capacity of 28 cascades, with 3 more still under construction (accounting for another 16.3%). We comprehensively describe the background, tasks and exploitation of hydropower development in the Dadu River basin and highlight current practices, including exploration of environmental protection and ecological restoration, technical innovation, supporting facility construction, economic promotion and resettlement. Finally, based on the identified practices and lessons, we propose feasible suggestions for China's future hydropower development.
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This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41271094).
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Zhou, X., Fan, S., Sun, H. et al. Practices of environmental protection, technological innovation, economic promotion and social equity in hydropower development: a case study of cascade hydropower exploitation in China’s Dadu River basin. Clean Techn Environ Policy 23, 2827–2841 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02212-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02212-x