Improved development and management of energy and water resources

CEDREN EcoManage ble avsluttet i siste halvdel av 2016. PhD-arbeidet ble avsluttet med disputas 24. november hvorpå PhD-graden ble godkjent. Tittelen på PhD-en er "An improved framework for the assessment of water consumption from hydropower production". Tittelen på prøveforelesningen var "Norwegian hydropower as blue-green battery - a concept applicable to the rest of the world?". I 2016 bestod arbeidet i EcoManage i hovedsak av PhD-arbeidet, publisering av artikler samt ferdigstillelse av EcoManage Policy Brief som gir en oppsummering av prosjektet og anbefalinger for relevante brukere. Policy Brief er tilgjengelig for nedlastning fra CEDRENs nettsider. Resultater fra prosjektet er gjengitt i 10+ artikler i internasjonale journaler med fagfellevurdering, rapporter, oppsummeringer (Policy briefs) og notat. I tillegg har 10 masteroppgaver blitt gjennomført i tilknytning til prosjektet. En kronikk "Demninger er helt nødvendige" ble skrevet og utgitt i Aftenposten. Flere av temaene som er omhandlet i EcoManage (spesielt vannforbruk og økosystemtjenester) blir videreført i andre prosjekt hos SINTEF, NINA og NTNU.

Climate change and the needed reductions in the use of fossil fuels call for the development of renewable energy sources. To ensure the optimum use of natural resources and minimise the environmental footprint, environmental indicators can be applied to a llow comparison across energy production categories. EcoManage's main objective is to test, evaluate and adapt new concepts and indicators for the improved development and management of energy and water resources. Secondary objectives are to: 1. Develop a consistent framework for the calculation of Energy Payback Ratio-values (EPR) for different electricity generation technologies which allows for reliable comparisons and benchmarking between technologies. Furthermore, to apply the developed methodology to a number of Norwegian hydropower plants and benchmark with international studies. 2. Develop a methodology for the assessment of water consumption in hydropower plants, allowing comparison with other electricity production technologies, and carry out pilot studies. 3. Demonstrate the applicability of the Ecosystem Services in identifying the full social costs of hydropower development and designing instruments to internalize these costs. Evaluate biodiversity off-sets in local, regional and internati onal setting using integrated habitat equivalency and multi-criteria analysis methods. 4. Assess the applicability of the indicators/concepts and provide recommendations to the industry and the authorities on the further use of the tools. The project wi ll be carried out by extensive use of test-cases in regulated rivers. Coupled with the adaption and application of highly sophisticated research methods as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) the suitability of these co ncepts will be demonstrated. The project will produce at least 10 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and a number conference presentations, technical reports and policy-briefs.