IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v13y2020i24p6731-d465436.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Small Hydropower in the Baltic States—Current Status and Potential for Future Development

Author

Listed:
  • Egidijus Kasiulis

    (Institute of Water Resources Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, 10 Universiteto Str., Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Petras Punys

    (Institute of Water Resources Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, 10 Universiteto Str., Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Algis Kvaraciejus

    (Institute of Water Resources Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, 10 Universiteto Str., Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Antanas Dumbrauskas

    (Institute of Water Resources Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, 10 Universiteto Str., Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Linas Jurevičius

    (Institute of Water Resources Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University, 10 Universiteto Str., Akademija, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania)

Abstract

Small hydropower (SHP) plays an important role in the Baltic States as a reliable and efficient source of electricity from renewable sources. This study presents the historical development, current status, and possible trends for the future development of SHP in the Baltic States with insights into the legal background and development policies for SHP in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. For the assessment of hydraulic structures in the Baltic States, the historical data was used supplemented with data from hydropower associations, the national departments of statistics, electricity transmission systems operators, etc. The currently recommended best practice for SHP development is the utilisation of existing sites with available infrastructure. These include old water mill sites and existing dam sites, which, in the Baltic States, number more than 1500. The majority of these sites have their power potential attributed to micro-hydro (<100 kW). In this study the potential of the hydropower capacity at historic, currently nonpowered dams is evaluated and the distribution of the micro-hydro sites within the EU network of protected areas under Natura 2000 and nationally designated areas is presented. The potential electricity generation from such historic sites in the Baltic States is more than 200 GWh/year.

Suggested Citation

  • Egidijus Kasiulis & Petras Punys & Algis Kvaraciejus & Antanas Dumbrauskas & Linas Jurevičius, 2020. "Small Hydropower in the Baltic States—Current Status and Potential for Future Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-21, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:24:p:6731-:d:465436
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6731/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6731/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Petras Punys & Antanas Dumbrauskas & Egidijus Kasiulis & Gitana Vyčienė & Linas Šilinis, 2015. "Flow Regime Changes: From Impounding a Temperate Lowland River to Small Hydropower Operations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-24, July.
    2. Sachdev, Hira Singh & Akella, Ashok Kumar & Kumar, Niranjan, 2015. "Analysis and evaluation of small hydropower plants: A bibliographical survey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1013-1022.
    3. Athayde, Simone & Duarte, Carla G. & Gallardo, Amarilis L.C.F. & Moretto, Evandro M. & Sangoi, Luisa A. & Dibo, Ana Paula A. & Siqueira-Gay, Juliana & Sánchez, Luis E., 2019. "Improving policies and instruments to address cumulative impacts of small hydropower in the Amazon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 265-271.
    4. Unknown, 2016. "Energy for Sustainable Development," Conference Proceedings 253270, Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies (IDSAsr).
    5. Bracken, L.J. & Bulkeley, H.A. & Maynard, C.M., 2014. "Micro-hydro power in the UK: The role of communities in an emerging energy resource," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 92-101.
    6. Tamm, Ottar & Tamm, Toomas, 2020. "Verification of a robust method for sizing and siting the small hydropower run-of-river plant potential by using GIS," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 153-159.
    7. Shipkovs, P. & Kashkarova, G. & Shipkovs, M., 1999. "Renewable energy utilization in Latvia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 1241-1244.
    8. Suwal, Naresh & Huang, Xianfeng & Kuriqi, Alban & Chen, Yingqin & Pandey, Kamal Prasad & Bhattarai, Khem Prasad, 2020. "Optimisation of cascade reservoir operation considering environmental flows for different environmental management classes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 453-464.
    9. Punys, Petras & Kvaraciejus, Algis & Dumbrauskas, Antanas & Šilinis, Linas & Popa, Bogdan, 2019. "An assessment of micro-hydropower potential at historic watermill, weir, and non-powered dam sites in selected EU countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 1108-1123.
    10. Punys, Petras & Kasiulis, Egidijus & Kvaraciejus, Algis & Dumbrauskas, Antanas & Vyčienė, Gitana & Šilinis, Linas, 2017. "Impacts of the EU and national environmental legislation on tapping hydropower resources in Lithuania – A lowland country," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 495-504.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emanuele Quaranta & Katalin Bódis & Egidijus Kasiulis & Aonghus McNabola & Alberto Pistocchi, 2022. "Is There a Residual and Hidden Potential for Small and Micro Hydropower in Europe? A Screening-Level Regional Assessment," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(6), pages 1745-1762, April.
    2. Agnieszka Wałachowska & Aranka Ignasiak-Szulc, 2021. "Comparison of Renewable Energy Sources in ‘New’ EU Member States in the Context of National Energy Transformations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Bartłomiej Igliński & Michał Bernard Pietrzak & Urszula Kiełkowska & Mateusz Skrzatek & Artur Gajdos & Anas Zyadin & Karthikeyan Natarajan, 2022. "How to Meet the Green Deal Objectives—Is It Possible to Obtain 100% RES at the Regional Level in the EU?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, March.
    4. Kuo-Chen Wu & Jui-Chu Lin & Wen-Te Chang & Chia-Szu Yen & Huang-Jie Fu, 2023. "Research and Analysis of Promotional Policies for Small Hydropower Generation in Taiwan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Ewa Chomać-Pierzecka & Andrzej Kokiel & Joanna Rogozińska-Mitrut & Anna Sobczak & Dariusz Soboń & Jacek Stasiak, 2022. "Hydropower in the Energy Market in Poland and the Baltic States in the Light of the Challenges of Sustainable Development-An Overview of the Current State and Development Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, October.
    6. Jakub Jurasz & Jerzy Mikulik & Paweł B. Dąbek & Mohammed Guezgouz & Bartosz Kaźmierczak, 2021. "Complementarity and ‘Resource Droughts’ of Solar and Wind Energy in Poland: An ERA5-Based Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, February.
    7. Jelena Cvijović & Vladimir Obradović & Marija Todorović, 2021. "Stakeholder Management and Project Sustainability—A Throw of the Dice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Lidia Luty & Monika Zioło & Wioletta Knapik & Iwona Bąk & Karol Kukuła, 2023. "Energy Security in Light of Sustainable Development Goals," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-18, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Davine N. G. Janssen & Eunice Pereira Ramos & Vincent Linderhof & Nico Polman & Chrysi Laspidou & Dennis Fokkinga & Duarte de Mesquita e Sousa, 2020. "The Climate, Land, Energy, Water and Food Nexus Challenge in a Land Scarce Country: Innovations in the Netherlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco & Taher, Myriam & Zapata-Sierra, Antonio & Juaidi, Adel & Montoya, Francisco G., 2017. "An overview of research and energy evolution for small hydropower in Europe," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 476-489.
    3. López-González, A. & Ferrer-Martí, L. & Domenech, B., 2019. "Long-term sustainability assessment of micro-hydro projects: Case studies from Venezuela," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 120-130.
    4. Soulis, Konstantinos X. & Manolakos, Dimitris & Ntavou, Erika & Kosmadakis, George, 2022. "A geospatial analysis approach for the operational assessment of solar ORC systems. Case study: Performance evaluation of a two-stage solar ORC engine in Greece," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 116-128.
    5. Damian Liszka & Zbigniew Krzemianowski & Tomasz Węgiel & Dariusz Borkowski & Andrzej Polniak & Konrad Wawrzykowski & Artur Cebula, 2022. "Alternative Solutions for Small Hydropower Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-31, February.
    6. Kuriqi, Alban & Pinheiro, António N. & Sordo-Ward, Alvaro & Bejarano, María D. & Garrote, Luis, 2021. "Ecological impacts of run-of-river hydropower plants—Current status and future prospects on the brink of energy transition," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    7. Villanthenkodath, Muhammed Ashiq & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar, 2021. "Does economic growth respond to electricity consumption asymmetrically in Bangladesh? The implication for environmental sustainability," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    8. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Hoang, Thi Hong Van & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar & Roubaud, David, 2017. "Energy consumption, financial development and economic growth in India: New evidence from a nonlinear and asymmetric analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 199-212.
    9. Mollik, Sazib & Rashid, M.M. & Hasanuzzaman, M. & Karim, M.E. & Hosenuzzaman, M., 2016. "Prospects, progress, policies, and effects of rural electrification in Bangladesh," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 553-567.
    10. Obsatar Sinaga & Mohd Haizam Mohd Saudi & Djoko Roespinoedji & Mohd Shahril Ahmad Razimi, 2019. "The Dynamic Relationship between Natural Gas and Economic Growth: Evidence from Indonesia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(3), pages 388-394.
    11. Teng, Meixuan & Burke, Paul J. & Liao, Hua, 2019. "The demand for coal among China's rural households: Estimates of price and income elasticities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 928-936.
    12. Ruqayya Ibraheem & Ismat Nasim, 2021. "Globalization, Energy Use and Environmental Degradation in Thailand," iRASD Journal of Energy and Environment, International Research Association for Sustainable Development (iRASD), vol. 2(1), pages 01-11, June.
    13. Ouyang, Yaofu & Li, Peng, 2018. "On the nexus of financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption in China: New perspective from a GMM panel VAR approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 238-252.
    14. Muhammad Shahbaz & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad & Mantu Kumar Mahalik & Perry Sadorsky, 2018. "How strong is the causal relationship between globalization and energy consumption in developed economies? A country-specific time-series and panel analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(13), pages 1479-1494, March.
    15. Sinha, Avik & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2018. "Estimation of Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO2 emission: Role of renewable energy generation in India," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 703-711.
    16. Miriam Müller & Oscar Reutter, 2017. "Vision Development towards a Sustainable North Rhine-Westphalia 2030 in a Science-Practice-Dialogue," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-27, June.
    17. Simshauser, P., 2019. "On the impact of government-initiated CfD’s in Australia’s National Electricity Market," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1901, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    18. Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar & Aneesh A. Chand & Maria Malvoni & Kushal A. Prasad & Kabir A. Mamun & F.R. Islam & Shauhrat S. Chopra, 2020. "Distributed Energy Resources and the Application of AI, IoT, and Blockchain in Smart Grids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-42, November.
    19. Mardones, Cristian, 2021. "Ex-post evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of a heater replacement program implemented in southern Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    20. Pourshab, Nasrin & Tehrani, Mehdi Dadkhah & Toghraie, Davood & Rostami, Sara, 2020. "Application of double glazed façades with horizontal and vertical louvers to increase natural air flow in office buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:24:p:6731-:d:465436. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.