CLIMATIC AND HYDROLOGIC CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DESIGN OF A HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT IN GREENLAND

摘要

The unique climate and hydrology of Greenland present numerous challenges and opportunities for the planning and design of hydroelectric facilities. In this presentation, we review how site hydrology and glacier ablation (ice melt) are analyzed from 1958 to 2007 to investigate the feasibility of a new hydroelectric development and aluminum smelter for Alcoa. The smelting process used to produce aluminum requires approximately 13 kWh to produce 1 kg of the metal. For this reason, aluminum smelters are typically located near large power stations. Greenland, with its abundant potential for clean renewable hydropower is actively seeking to develop an aluminum industry to broaden and strengthen its economy. To this end, the Greenland Home Rule government identified Alcoa as the partner of choice, and, together, the country and the company are addressing what represents both an engineering challenge and economic opportunity. In Greenland, precipitation averages less than 40 inches per year. However, unlike the United States, where the majority of surface runoff is due to precipitation, more than 75 percent of Greenland's runoff results from glacial ablation, with the majority occurring between early June and late September. This unique site hydrology, with six to eight months of little or no flow in any given year, together with the uncertainties associated with long-term climate change, presented a unique challenge for the designers of the dams, reservoirs and appurtenant waterworks.