Biodiversity looking for characterization factors
The development of new characterization factors to determine the impacts of products or procedures on biodiversity is a major emerging challenge subject to numerous future research works.
In this context and within the frame of a partnership with McDonald’s, Cycleco has developed a methodology allowing the calculation of characterization factors to determine the impacts due to the presence of a small run-of-river hydropower plant including a weir on the river’s biodiversity. This methodology relies on river grain size affinity databases for more than 500 species (macro-invertebrates and fish).
The environmental impacts which were identified/which were tried to be quantified on the watercourse (when it is diverted) in the presence of a small run-of-river hydropower plant are as follows:
- Upstream the weir: sedimentation
- Downstream the weir: flow reduction and riverbed exposure
Once identified, these three impacts were then used as the basis for the development of new biodiversity characterization factors in the presence of a small run-of-river hydropower plant.
These factors, given in PAF.m².year / kWh or PDF.m².year / kWh will then be used in the Life Cycle Assessment of a small hydroelectric power plant, and will make it possible to include the following factor « run-of-river hydropower plant weir physical impact on the river » in the biodiversity indicator.
Please click here to read more on this project (in French).
This research project brought together the following partners: Energie Nature (project management), Cycleco (LCIA), McDonald’s/Synergence (project owners).
Photo credit: Qurren