Ecological Restoration in the Yellow River Basin Enhances Hydropower Potential

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2025 Mar 16

PMID 40089511

Authors

Xutong Wu

Zihan Yan

Haiyan Yang

Shuai Wang

Haoyu Zhang

Yilin Shen

Shuang Song

Yanxu Liu

Ying Guo

Dawen Yang

Bojie Fu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Hydropower, an important renewable energy source worldwide, is threatened by reservoir sedimentation. Ecological restoration (ER) can mitigate this by reducing upstream sediment, thereby extending hydropower facilities' lifespan. However, ER may also reduce runoff, potentially diminishing energy generation and complicating its overall impact on hydropower potential. Here, we examine China's Yellow River, once the world's most sediment-laden river, using eco-hydrological and reservoir regulation models to assess how large-scale ER influences the hydropower potential of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir, which controls 92.3% of the basin area. Our results indicate that, excluding upstream reservoirs' operations and socioeconomic water use, Xiaolangdi could generate a total of ~2.7×10 kWh of energy before facing diminished flexibility and efficiency caused by the exhaustion of sediment storage-57.3% more than without ER-equating to an additional ~100 billion kWh. This enhancement in hydropower potential primarily arises from the extended lifespan, despite a 6.9% reduction in average annual energy generation. These findings advance our understanding of the ecosystem-water-sediment-energy nexus, offering valuable insights for integrated watershed management globally.

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