Evaluating environmental impacts of micro, mini and small hydropower plants in Norway.

Small-scale hydropower plants with an installed capacity <10 MW are an important part of Norway's local and regional development. Small-scale facilities have been viewed as a relatively environmentally friendly form of energy production because they are assumed to have limited negative environmental impact. However, the plants potentially have environmental impacts related to land use changes from infrastructure installation and also instream effects such as barriers to fish migration or disturbed flow conditions within bypasses.

Assessment of flow ramping in water bodies impacted by hydropower operation in Norway - Is hydropower with environmental restrictions more sustainable?

Hydropower production is a key electricity generation technology in many parts of the world which can play a significant role in the transition towards a green and clean energy system. Hydropower can mobilize flexible energy on demand (hydropeaking) to balance out intermittent electricity from wind and photovoltaics. Adoption of hydropower as a peaking power source could lead to increased frequency of flow ramping in rivers downstream hydropower tailraces, which is one of the main stressors for riverine biota in alpine rivers.