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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Darkened reservoirs can blot out hydropower’s climate gains

At some stations, stored water absorbs enough sunlight to offset the station’s carbon savings.
Aerial view of Baihetan hydropower station, China

The Baihetan hydropower station in Liangshan, China. Scientists have found that sunlight absorbed by hydropower reservoirs can offset the environmental advantages of this power source. Credit: TPG/Getty

A hydropower station’s dark reservoir can soak up enough solar energy to cancel its climate benefit.

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Nature 591, 181 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00552-8

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