Strathclyde Postgraduate Research International Scholarship in Civil and Environmental Engineering

UK Hydropower energy capacity - a poorly tapped resource?

This research will investigate the capacity of UK hydropower resources to provide a sustainable energy resource exploited over the next 50 years to support renewable energy targets and provide a greater renewable energy resource to fulfil government targets.

Duration
36 months

Funding Details
Home/EU fees & stipend.

Supervisor
Dr Douglas Bertram

To encourage development of renewable energy generation, the Scottish Government is fully committed to an ambitious 100% renewable electricity generation target to be achieved by 2020 and 50% of the total energy consumption from renewables by 2030. Moreover, Scotland has set clear targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. Renewable energy resource development activity has predominantly focused on wind, both on-shore and offshore, and solar resources to meet the challenges above, overlooking the significant potential of Scotland’s hydro resource given the increased water availability under the latest UKCCIP future climate change projections. Furthermore, wind turbine and solar system infrastructure life-expectancy sit in the order of 20 years whereas hydropower systems offer up to 5 times this operational capacity, with infrastructure lifespans of 50-100 years typical of larger schemes and many small systems too. Indeed, recent research through the British Hydropower Association has even proposed potential lifespans of up to 3 centuries for some assets. This indicates hydropower, if correctly sited and exploited, offers significant advantages over other renewables for long term generation. This is confirmed when we note that the likes of Lanark Hydro Electric Scheme (run-of-river) at the Falls of Clyde celebrated its 95th anniversary and the Loch Sloy storage schemes 70th anniversary of operations this year. No wind farm has yet to equal this. To date no study has comprehensively addressed the full UK hydropower picture and these identified knowledge gaps or provided holistic review of the whole UK hydro sector potential as compared to other generation options. Hydropower offers the UK a renewable electricity generation capability that, if harnessed correctly through effective planning, design and water resource management, can provide both options to manage peak power demands and balance fluctuations, as well as provide for the baseload energy requirements that are typically required for electrical heating. The key risks to this model are in understanding the hydrology and water resources available, matching effective technologies to each site and context for maximising energy yields, and in long term resource planning.

The aim of this project is to develop a framework for assessing how UK hydropower resources can be developed and sustainably exploited over the next 50 years to support renewable energy targets and provide a greater renewable energy resource to fulfil government targets and provide renewable energy contribution for both peak and base load generation requirements. The project scope will review the successful implementation of Hydro to date and then subsequently evaluate the available future resource in 3 key sectors:

• Potential large schemes, conventional and pumped
• Potential small schemes including run of river
• Potential other water based schemes, coastal tidal etc.

Working from the University of Strathclyde, the initial research will objectively review hydro power resources currently available in the UK. This would cover existing schemes of all sizes showing location, type, available power and over what time period. Along with the locations there should be a nod to knock on amenities, recreation, irrigation, flood control and water supply, where appropriate. The second objectives would look at large scheme potential within Scotland, North England and Wales including conventional and pumped storage schemes; and the third part would cover small micro-hydro, typically run of river schemes, as well as other potential shoreline tidal storage and other water based schemes. The final part will research the hypothesis hydro (either on shore or offshore) is a far better suited to long term UK energy security than wind and solar resources in terms of predictability, resource estimation, management and control and examine how it could sensibly replace wind generation in the longer term if correctly developed.

The outputs of the research are also expected to contribute towards future publication via academic papers and a text book.