Standortbestimmung für erneuerbare Energiegewinnungsträger im Bereich Wasserkraft anhand von ASTER-Höhendaten am Beispiel von Saint Lucia

Abstract

The growing world population and the industrialization of the emerging economies lead to a rising global energy demand. The increase of the oil price particularly affects developing countries that do not have national fuel resources. As many countries are dependent up to 90% on imported fuels, the use of renewable energy sources is of crucial importance for the economic growth of these countries. In particular, the strong relief structure and the high amount of precipitation in the Caribbean region provide perfect conditions for implementing renewable energies such as hydroelectric power. Locating potential hydroelectric power sites requires detailed preliminary studies and sufficient knowledge of the topography as well as the necessary knowledge of the river network and its flow regime. In most developing countries this data is available only in insufficient quality. The River Analysis tool provides the possibility to identify potential sites for hydropower on the basis of digital elevation data. For the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia this methodology is implemented using a digital elevation model (DEM) derived from ASTER-Satellite data. The derivation of river networks and catchment areas from the ASTER-DEM is complemented by a GIS-based terrain analysis of the river network. For derived river sections attributes can be calculated that allow identifying the river sites with the highest energy potential. These results provide a reliable data basis and allow concentrating time-consuming and cost-intensive further studies at the located potential sites.