Potential impact of climate change on hydropower system in Malaysia

Abstract

Hydropower emerged as the predominant renewable source, constituting 83.3 % of the overall renewable electricity generated and contributing to 15.9 % of the total electricity output in Malaysia. The adverse effects of climate change, including extreme temperature and precipitation events, pose challenges to the performance and infrastructure of the hydropower plant. The main objective of this research is to investigate the potential ramifications of climate change on hydropower generation in Malaysia, with a particular emphasis on the projected impacts of temperature and precipitation changes. Data from ClimateAP software using global climate models are used to estimate the percentage changes in annual average temperature by 2070 under high emissions scenarios in comparison to baseline data from the end of the 20th century. The heat map was used to show the projected maximum temperature and precipitation across Malaysia under the Radiative Concentration Pathways 8.5 scenario. The hydraulic power generated formula was modified to determine the relationship between climate change and power generation. The findings reveal that an increase in temperature reduces power generation while an increase in precipitation increases energy production. Enhancements, additional analysis, and validation of these findings would help mitigate climate change and provide valuable insight into hydropower systems.