Improved development and management of energy and water resources- EcoManage

The main objective of EcoManage is to test, evaluate and adapt new concepts and indicators for the improved development and management of energy and water resources.

What is the value of water? Photo © Edelpix

The selected set of concepts and indicators to be studied are Energy Payback Ratio (EPR), water consumption in the hydropower sector and the off-set options for ecosystem services. The study sites will mainly be in river basins regulated for hydropower production. Secondary objectives are:

• Develop a consistent framework for the calculation of EPR-values for different electricity generation technologies which allows for reliable comparisons and benchmarking between technologies. Apply the developed methodology to a number of Norwegian hydropower plants and benchmark with already available international studies. 
• Develop a methodology for the assessment of water consumption in hydropower plants, allowing comparison with other enabling electricity production technologies. Carry out pilot studies in regions where water consumption is most likely to be accountable and of relevance. 
• Demonstrate the applicability of the Ecosystem Services in identifying the full social costs of hydropower development and designing instruments to internalize these costs in hydropower developers and customers decision-making. Specifically, the project will evaluate/test ‘biodiversity off-sets’ in local, regional and international setting using integrated habitat equivalency and multi-criteria analysis methods, and evaluate how these approaches can be integrated with other approaches to internalizing environmental impacts. 
• Assess the applicability of the indicators/concepts and provide recommendations to the industry and the authorities on the further use of the tools.