Inverse parameter estimation of Environmental Benefit Functions: approach and research avenues
Event details
| Date | 14.03.2011 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Paolo PERONA; AHEAD EPFL |
| Location |
GR B3 30
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
In the time when climatic and ecosystem changes have been associated to human activities (Sala et al., 2000) and alternative energy sources are sought, traditional hydropower production is still among the most diffused techniques, especially in glacierized basins of alpine countries (e.g., in Europe, Switzerland follows after Norway, Austria and Iceland). Thus, water exploitation and use yet question the definition of Environmental Flow Requirements in relation to suitable release operational rules.
We discuss the possibility of obtaining flow variability from the economical competition for water between traditional and non-traditional water uses (e.g., the riparian environment), which requires assessing the coefficients of the benefit function for the use of water in the riparian environment. By means of marginal analysis, we derive a quasi-objective theory based on the assumption that the system of all water uses (i.e., traditional and non-traditional) work at the economical optimum, and the objective existence of minimal and maximal flows to constrain the optimization problem. We obtain an algebraic resolution of the unknown parameters for either linear or nonlinear environmental marginal benefit functions, and offer an interpretation of their economical meaning in the context of current scientific debates about the actual existence of such functions. We show that such functions are indeed only meaningful in the specific economic context of the associated exploitation activity, which actually remains the true evaluator of the water value for both users.
We apply the resulting operational rules to both synthetic and real river hydrographs of run-of-the-river exploitation activity and show how this approach generates natural-like flow regimes in the impounded river reach. Future both experimental and modeling research avenues of the Group AHEAD are discussed in the context of this SNF funded project as far as its scientific dissemination and practical relevance are concerned.
Links
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Prof. Paolo Perona, AHEAD