Evaluation of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Hydroelectricity Generation Systems

This study evaluated the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from different hydroelectricity generation systems by first performing a comprehensive review of the hydroelectricity generation system life cycle assessment (LCA) studies and then subsequent computation of statistical metrics to quantify the life cycle GHG emissions (expressed in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour, gCO2e/kWh). A categorization index (with unique category codes, formatted as “facility type-electric power generation capacity”) was developed and used in this study to evaluate the life cycle GHG emissions from the reviewed hydroelectricity generation systems. The unique category codes were labeled by integrating the names of the two hydro power sub-classifications, i.e., the facility type (impoundment (I), diversion (D), pumped storage (PS), miscellaneous hydropower works (MHPW)) and the electric power generation capacity (micro (µ), small (S), large (L)). The characterized hydroelectricity generation systems were statistically evaluated to determine the reduction in corresponding life cycle GHG emissions. A total of eight unique categorization codes (I-S, I-L, D-µ, D-S, D-L, PS-L, MHPW-µ, MHPW-S) were designated to the 19 hydroelectricity generation LCA studies (representing 178 hydropower cases) using the proposed categorization index. The mean life cycle GHG emissions resulting from the use of I-S (N = 24), I-L (N = 8), D-µ (N = 3), D-S (N = 133), D-L (N = 3), PS-L (N = 3), MHPW-µ (N = 3), and MHPW-S (N = 1) hydroelectricity generation systems are 21.05 gCO2e/kWh, 40.63 gCO2e/kWh, 47.82 gCO2e/kWh, 27.18 gCO2e/kWh, 3.45 gCO2e/kWh, 256.63 gCO2e/kWh, 19.73 gCO2e/kWh, and 2.78 gCO2e/kWh, respectively. D-L hydroelectricity generation systems produced the minimum life cycle GHGs (considering the hydroelectricity generation system categories with a representation of at least two cases)