Reservoir sedimentation and hydro storage capacity: A new approach developed at dams in Switzerland

Reservoir sedimentation is a concern of increasing importance worldwide, which leads to reduced water and energy storage capacity alongside the risk of impaired dam safety and environmental impacts. Therefore, an integrated approach for estimating trapping efficiency is essential to adequately represent the complexity of sedimentation processes in reservoirs. The main objective of this study is to derive a new methodology for estimating reservoir sedimentation rates and hydropower energy storage capacities in a regional fleet of reservoirs. The methodology is applied to the case of Swiss reservoirs, with the aim of deriving a representative estimate of the reservoir sedimentation rate and the hydropower storage capacity in the overall Swiss fleet.