ABSTRACT
In mountain environments where snow and ice-cover influence runoff, climate variability can greatly alter the water resource. Runoff from many alpine areas of the world is used for hydro-electric generation, so that the question arises as to the sensitivity of mountain environments to climate change. In the future, a warmer and perhaps wetter greenhouse climate needs to be considered. This situation is illustrated with the example of New Zealand, where 80 per cent of the country’s electricity is produced by hydroelectric generation, and almost half of the generating capacity (total 7,305 MW) uses runoff from the Southern Alps. In an average year, the hydro plant in these mountains produces 15,000 GWh. This chapter examines the main impacts of climate change and the sensitivity of a mountain-based hydro-electric system to changes in snow storage, temperature, and precipitation. Impacts on both supply and demand sectors of the electricity system are examined.
