Huang et al. (2026) Global Estimate of Reservoir Hydropower Storage Potential Based on SWOT Observations

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Earth s Future
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-01
• Authors: Lin Huang, Chunqiao Song, Kai Liu, Pengfei Zhan, Xiaomei Fan, Hui Zhang, Yiguang Zou, Yaling Lin, Fanxuan Zeng, Jida Wang
• DOI: 10.1029/2026ef008836

Research Groups

• Hydrology and Water Resources Laboratory (Department of Civil Engineering)
• Center for Earth System Science (CESS)

Short Summary

This study leverages the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite to construct a global, observation-based inventory of energy storage potential for major reservoirs, quantifying the global energy storage potential at 638.14 ± 218.52 TWh.

Objective

• Investigate the dynamic water fluctuations that govern operational reliability in hydropower systems and their impact on energy storage potential.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global scale, focusing on 4,025 major reservoirs and extrapolating to 26,388 reservoirs worldwide.
• Temporal Scale: Analysis of data from 2024, with intra-annual variability considered.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: None mentioned; primary observations from the SWOT satellite are used directly.
• Data sources: Satellite data (SWOT), observation-based inventory of major reservoirs.

Main Results

• The global average hydraulic head was 32.13 ± 0.64 m in 2024, with significant spatial heterogeneity shaped by topography and substantial intra-annual variability.
• Fluctuations mostly exceed 10 m in monsoonal and arid regions, indicating greater variability in the head-related component of hydropower storage potential.
• The global energy storage potential is quantified at 638.14 ± 218.52 TWh.

Contributions

• This study provides a novel, observation-based assessment of reservoir energy storage dynamics on a global scale, informing global energy-system modeling and water-energy planning.

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Huang2026Global,
  author = {Huang, Lin and Song, Chunqiao and Liu, Kai and Zhan, Pengfei and Fan, Xiaomei and Zhang, Hui and Zou, Yiguang and Lin, Yaling and Zeng, Fanxuan and Wang, Jida},
  title = {Global Estimate of Reservoir Hydropower Storage Potential Based on SWOT Observations},
  journal = {Earth s Future},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2026ef008836},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2026ef008836}
}