Simulating High-Elevation Hydropower with Regional Climate Warming in the West Slope Sierra Nevada

The authors used the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) system to simulate hydropower generation in the upper west slope Sierra Nevada under four temperature increase scenarios (0°C, 2°C, 4°C, and 6°C) through 2100. The model indicates that the highly productive northern Sierra Nevada would experience large reductions in hydropower generation due to decreased annual runoff, while central watersheds show a better ability to adapt to changes in runoff timing. Generation in the less productive southern watersheds also decreases.

• The northern Sierra Nevada, characterized as highly productive, is expected to experience significant declines in hydropower generation resulting from lower annual runoff.
• Central watersheds in the study region experience smaller reductions in annual runoff and demonstrate a greater capacity to adapt to shifts in the timing of runoff.
• Hydropower generation in the southern watersheds, which are noted as being less productive, is projected to decrease.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). Simulating High-Elevation Hydropower with Regional Climate Warming in the West Slope Sierra Nevada. https://www.sei.org/publications/simulating-high-elevation-hydropower-with-regional-climate-warming-in-the-west-slope-sierra-nevada/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Simulating High-Elevation Hydropower with Regional Climate Warming in the West Slope Sierra Nevada. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/simulating-high-elevation-hydropower-with-regional-climate-warming-in-the-west-slope-sierra-nevada/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Simulating High-Elevation Hydropower with Regional Climate Warming in the West Slope Sierra Nevada |date=25 April 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/simulating-high-elevation-hydropower-with-regional-climate-warming-in-the-west-slope-sierra-nevada/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013simulating, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Simulating High-Elevation Hydropower with Regional Climate Warming in the West Slope Sierra Nevada}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/simulating-high-elevation-hydropower-with-regional-climate-warming-in-the-west-slope-sierra-nevada/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }