Author(s): Simon Martel; Giovanni De Cesare; Paolo Perona

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Keywords: Open channel flows; Dynamic environmental flows; Sustainable hydropower

Abstract: The diversion of water from rivers and streams for human use disrupts the natural flow regime and homogenizes river corridors’ ecology. To mitigate these effects, environmental flow regulations are often mandated by law, following policies such as minimum flow requirements or proportional redistribution (Arthington et al., 2006). However, there is no universal agreement on the best release strategy although scientific research generally supports the idea that maintaining flow variability is crucial for preserving riverine biodiversity. In line with this perspective, non-proportional flow release strategies in the form of Fermi functions have been proposed for both small (Razurel et al., 2018) and traditional hydropower systems (Niayifar and Perona, 2017). Their adoption allows to achieve (see Fig 1a) optimal trade-offs (in the Pareto sense) between energy generation and ecological sustainability (Perona et al., 2021). While such redistribution can be generated controlling flow devices like hydraulic gates, there is interest in avoiding these structures due to safety concerns and energy consumption. A better option would be to revolutionize the functioning of water intake structures (e.g., type “tyrolienne”).

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Year: 2025