Using LCA to estimate hydropower's land use impact
Using LCA, a Norwegian-based team of researchers has developed an innovative way to describe how much land it takes to generate a kilowatt-hour of electricity from hydropower. Hydropower is the world's top source of renewable energy, but it is not without its environmental costs including the land that is drowned under reservoirs or gobbled up by roads and power lines built for a hydropower project. The new measure will make it easier for policymakers and businesses to assess the environmental trade-offs of current hydropower plants and the merits of investing in new plants.
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