Planning with emission models reduces the carbon footprint of new reservoirs

RESULTS OF OPTIMAL MULTIOBJECTIVE HYDROELECTRIC PLANT SELECTION STUDY IN MYANMAR

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Variable Name Type Unit Description
Mean HP Objective 1 GWh / d Average daily hydropower generation in a year
Firm HP Objective 2 GWh / d Average daily firm power in a year
GHG Emissions Objective 3 Mt CO2,eq / year Total annual GHG emissions from hydropower generation
Agricultural land loss Objective 4 km2 Loss of agricultural land due to impoundment
Deforestation Objective 5 km2 Loss of forest due to impoundment
Land Loss Tracked metric 1 km2 Total loss of valuable land due to impoundment (equals Agricultural land loss + Deforestation)
GHG intensity Tracked metric 2 g CO2,eq / kWh Emission intensity of hydropower production
Firm power ratio Tracked metric 3 % Ratio of firm to mean HP production
Scenario [1/0] Selector variable -- Optimization Scenario: 1 = Built dams are fixed, 0 = No fixed dams