Environmental and economic assessment of water resource use for energy production via EURAXESS

The use of water resources in the energy sector, in particular in hydroelectric production, differs from other uses of public water, primarily irrigation, in that there is no direct relationship between the quantity of water withdrawn and the parameter on the basis of which water charges are quantified, i.e. the average nominal power of concession; this relationship is distorted by the hydraulic jump. The aim of the research in question is to investigate ways suited to the specificities of this sector to implement the principle of environmental costs recovery as required by the Water Framework Directive. The candidate will study, within a research team, different methods of parameterizing hydropower concession charges connected to the payment of ecosystem services, also taking into account the sector’s profitability and economic sustainability.