Global Hydropower Simulation Collection

This collection consists of hydropower simulation datasets from three related studies. 1,593 hydropower reservoirs, representing almost 40% of the world's existing installed electricity capacity (as of 2019), are studied. In the first study [1], time series are generated by forcing a detailed dam model with monthly-resolution, 20th century (1906-2000) inflows. This allows us to study the impact of climate variability on hydropower production. In the second study [2], 21st century (2001-2100) streamflow are used, enabling us to study the effect of climate change on hydropower. In the third study, we identify the value of streamflow forecast in hydropower production by simulating the reservoirs under three operating schemes – control rules, forecast-informed operations with perfect forecast, and forecast informed operations with deterministic forecast. Updated simulations for 735 headwater hydropower reservoirs can be found in version 2 of the resource.

References:
[1] Ng, J. Y., Turner, S. W., & Galelli, S. (2017). Influence of El Niño Southern Oscillation on global hydropower production. Environmental Research Letters, 12(3), 034010.
[2] Turner, S. W., Ng, J. Y., & Galelli, S. (2017). Examining global electricity supply vulnerability to climate change using a high-fidelity hydropower dam model. Science of the Total Environment, 590, 663-675.