Power plants experience distinct dynamic behaviors according to the primary source of energy. Whereas thermal power plants have a slow dynamic, modern renewables such as wind and solar PV are subject to very fast variations, due to environmental factors. Therefore, their availability is not guaranteed. Consequently, it is opportune to take advantage of the intrinsic flexibility of hydropower pl...

In some environmental situations, environmental effects caused by elevated metals resulting from past mining and smelting activities can be observed in nearby receiving water bodies several decades after mine and smelter closure. There is a growing need for managing the hazardous solid wastes such as mining wastes as well as for assessing water quality and for sustainable management of sediment...

While the era of dam building is largely over in the United States, globally dams are still being proposed and constructed. The articles in this special issue consider many aspects and impacts of dams around the world. This paper examines dam removal and the measurement of the impacts of dams on local community property values. Valuable lessons may be found. In the United States, hundreds of sm...

Water level fluctuations in lakes lead to shoreline displacement. The seasonality of flooding or beaching of the littoral area affects nutrient cycling, redox gradients in sediments, and life cycles of aquatic organisms. Despite the ecological importance of water level fluctuations, we still lack a method that assesses water levels in the context of hydropower operations. Water levels in reserv...

-This paper presents recent work on the control strategy and algorithm for automatic voltage control (AVC) of hydropower station with multiple units and large capacities. Under the conditions that no dynamic voltage problems are considered, a method intended primarily to control steady state voltage of HV bus by economically regulating the reactive power generation of hydropower station is prop...

Electricity production is a challenging issue when it comes to mitigating greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions without risking development goals. Non-renewable energy sources, as fossil fuel burning, account for most of the global energy production (68% in 2007) and are responsible for most of the anthropogenic GHG emissions to the atmosphere (40%, International Panel on Climate Change IPCC, 2007)....

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most important problems in advanced and industrialized countries particularly in manufacturing companies. The main objective of this study is to determine work- related musculoskeletal disorders and its related risk factors among Seymareh hydropower plant workers. Determination of disorders and its relevant factors are one the most leading basis f...

This paper describes and validates the HydroCalculator Tool developed by Conservation Strategy Fund. The HydroCalculator Tool allows researchers, policy-makers and citizens to easily assess hydropower feasibility, by calculating traditional financial indicators, such as the levelized cost of energy, as well as greenhouse gas emissions and the economic net present value including emissions costs...

Diversion tunnels are often used as tailrace tunnels in underground hydropower stations. The special layout results in complex flow regimes, including air-water two-phase flow. A set of experiments is conducted based on the model of a hydropower station which combines partial diversion tunnels with tailrace tunnels to investigate the interactions between the air and water phases in the combined...