Energy, economic, and environmental tradeoffs at run-of-river hydropower facilities

Kyle Weiss; Kristine N. Moody; Jon Hathaway; Malcolm McLellan; John Schwartz; Brenda M. Pracheil

doi:10.1016/j.teadva.2025.200136

Energy, economic, and environmental tradeoffs at run-of-river hydropower facilities

Kyle Weiss
, Kristine N. Moody
, Jon Hathaway
, Malcolm McLellan
, John Schwartz
, Brenda M. Pracheil

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Hydropower's ability to quickly adapt to variability from wind and solar generation by fluctuation flow rates can allow the electricity grid to integrate more renewable capacity. However, these rapid flow fluctuations, required to meet variability needs, can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we quantified energy-economic-environment tradeoffs at five conventional hydropower facilities (i.e. hydropower produced ad a dam on a river channel) across the United States to identify a mix of operational regimes that can provide flexibility to support variable renewable energy integration and environmental protections. Model results show a range of ability to meet demand from 4.7% to 97.8% depending on which case study is considered. Additionally, when modeling the case study facilities on a range of RoR conditions, allowing a % of inflow as discharge, we found the range of 140–200% of inflow allowed as discharge lead to lowest environmental impact while meeting the highest amount of demand. Our sensitivity analysis results demonstrated the Richard-Baker Flashiness Index, used to measure flowrate changes, and Revenue, were negatively correlated with the percent of hydropower generation within the defined Regional Energy Deployment System balancing area (i.e. region in which energy demand and energy supply is balanced based on the Regional Energy Deployment System model) yet positively correlated to the variable renewable energy generation percentage in the defined balancing area. Our results suggest hydropower operations can aid in increasing renewable energy generation while limiting environmental impacts when considering a holistic analysis of energy-economic-environment tradeoffs.

Original language	English
Article number	200136
Journal	Total Environment Advances
Volume	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teadva.2025.200136
State	Published - Dec 2025

Funding

Funding: Authors Weiss, Moody, and Pracheil were supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office hydrowires initiative. Author Weiss was also supported by a University of Tennessee GATE Fellowship. This manuscript has been authored in part by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ). This manuscript has been authored in part by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan[M1] [WKM2] ). [M1]Please add the access date (format: Date Month Year), e.g. accessed on 1 January 2020. [WKM2]This is not a reference that was accessed. It is information for the reader and is required as part of the Acknowledgements. Dr.Scott Holladay, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee – Knoxville for his contributions in peer reviewing this manuscript. This work was supported by the Oak Ridge National Lab under the HydroWIRES project, Oak Ridge TN, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. This manuscript has been authored in part by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan[M1] [WKM2] ). [M1]Please add the access date (format: Date Month Year), e.g., accessed on 1 January 2020. [WKM2]This is not a reference that was accessed. It is information for the reader and is required as part of the Acknowledgements. Dr.Scott Holladay, Haslam College of Business, University of Tennessee – Knoxville for his contributions in peer reviewing this manuscript.

Keywords

Economic impact
Environmental impact
Grid stability impact
Hydropower
Run-of-river
Variable renewable energy

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10.1016/j.teadva.2025.200136

Cite this

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title = "Energy, economic, and environmental tradeoffs at run-of-river hydropower facilities",

abstract = "Hydropower's ability to quickly adapt to variability from wind and solar generation by fluctuation flow rates can allow the electricity grid to integrate more renewable capacity. However, these rapid flow fluctuations, required to meet variability needs, can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we quantified energy-economic-environment tradeoffs at five conventional hydropower facilities (i.e. hydropower produced ad a dam on a river channel) across the United States to identify a mix of operational regimes that can provide flexibility to support variable renewable energy integration and environmental protections. Model results show a range of ability to meet demand from 4.7\% to 97.8\% depending on which case study is considered. Additionally, when modeling the case study facilities on a range of RoR conditions, allowing a \% of inflow as discharge, we found the range of 140–200\% of inflow allowed as discharge lead to lowest environmental impact while meeting the highest amount of demand. Our sensitivity analysis results demonstrated the Richard-Baker Flashiness Index, used to measure flowrate changes, and Revenue, were negatively correlated with the percent of hydropower generation within the defined Regional Energy Deployment System balancing area (i.e. region in which energy demand and energy supply is balanced based on the Regional Energy Deployment System model) yet positively correlated to the variable renewable energy generation percentage in the defined balancing area. Our results suggest hydropower operations can aid in increasing renewable energy generation while limiting environmental impacts when considering a holistic analysis of energy-economic-environment tradeoffs.",

keywords = "Economic impact, Environmental impact, Grid stability impact, Hydropower, Run-of-river, Variable renewable energy",

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AU - Pracheil, Brenda M.

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N2 - Hydropower's ability to quickly adapt to variability from wind and solar generation by fluctuation flow rates can allow the electricity grid to integrate more renewable capacity. However, these rapid flow fluctuations, required to meet variability needs, can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we quantified energy-economic-environment tradeoffs at five conventional hydropower facilities (i.e. hydropower produced ad a dam on a river channel) across the United States to identify a mix of operational regimes that can provide flexibility to support variable renewable energy integration and environmental protections. Model results show a range of ability to meet demand from 4.7% to 97.8% depending on which case study is considered. Additionally, when modeling the case study facilities on a range of RoR conditions, allowing a % of inflow as discharge, we found the range of 140–200% of inflow allowed as discharge lead to lowest environmental impact while meeting the highest amount of demand. Our sensitivity analysis results demonstrated the Richard-Baker Flashiness Index, used to measure flowrate changes, and Revenue, were negatively correlated with the percent of hydropower generation within the defined Regional Energy Deployment System balancing area (i.e. region in which energy demand and energy supply is balanced based on the Regional Energy Deployment System model) yet positively correlated to the variable renewable energy generation percentage in the defined balancing area. Our results suggest hydropower operations can aid in increasing renewable energy generation while limiting environmental impacts when considering a holistic analysis of energy-economic-environment tradeoffs.

AB - Hydropower's ability to quickly adapt to variability from wind and solar generation by fluctuation flow rates can allow the electricity grid to integrate more renewable capacity. However, these rapid flow fluctuations, required to meet variability needs, can negatively impact aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we quantified energy-economic-environment tradeoffs at five conventional hydropower facilities (i.e. hydropower produced ad a dam on a river channel) across the United States to identify a mix of operational regimes that can provide flexibility to support variable renewable energy integration and environmental protections. Model results show a range of ability to meet demand from 4.7% to 97.8% depending on which case study is considered. Additionally, when modeling the case study facilities on a range of RoR conditions, allowing a % of inflow as discharge, we found the range of 140–200% of inflow allowed as discharge lead to lowest environmental impact while meeting the highest amount of demand. Our sensitivity analysis results demonstrated the Richard-Baker Flashiness Index, used to measure flowrate changes, and Revenue, were negatively correlated with the percent of hydropower generation within the defined Regional Energy Deployment System balancing area (i.e. region in which energy demand and energy supply is balanced based on the Regional Energy Deployment System model) yet positively correlated to the variable renewable energy generation percentage in the defined balancing area. Our results suggest hydropower operations can aid in increasing renewable energy generation while limiting environmental impacts when considering a holistic analysis of energy-economic-environment tradeoffs.

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KW - Environmental impact

KW - Grid stability impact

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KW - Run-of-river

KW - Variable renewable energy

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105017798904

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Energy, economic, and environmental tradeoffs at run-of-river hydropower facilities

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Keywords

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