Do hydropower reservoirs emit greenhouse gas emissions?
Several studies have been published on the question of GHG emissions from hydropower reservoirs. Reservoirs, like natural lakes, emit a certain quantity of GHGs due to decomposing vegetation; however, the scale of these emissions has been shown to be highly variable and more research on a case-by-case basis is required. In a study of a hydropower dam in Brazil, emissions were very high, but in the case of reservoirs studied in boreal regions, Canada for instance, results have shown that emissions are significantly lower than those produced by the combustion of fossil-fuels to generate electricity. In any case, clearing the vegetation in the area to be flooded can reduce emissions.
