Material footprint assessment of hydropower plants

Hydropower is the largest renewable source of electricity generation. However, the construction and operation of hydropower plants may cause significant material footprints. This study provides a systems accounting framework for evaluating the life-cycle material footprint of a hydropower plant. It is based on the hybrid method as a combination of the process analysis and the input-output analysis. A case study for a typical pumped storage hydropower plant (NPSHP) is carried out to demonstrate the framework. 12 metals (bauxite and aluminum ores, copper ores, gold ores, iron ores, lead ores, nickel ores, PGM ores, silver ores, tin ores, uranium and thorium ores, zinc ores, and other non-ferrous metal ores) and 8 minerals (building stones, chemical and fertilizer minerals, clays and kaolin, gravel and sand, limestone & gypsum & chalk & dolomite, salt, slate, and other minerals) are included.  The results can be helpful to promote a sustainable energy transition by incorporating material planetary boundaries into renewable energy systems.