Case studies of hydropower renewable energy and landscape quality from Romania

Abstract

This paper is presenting case studies of large hydropower built on Romanian mountain rivers Danube, Argeș and Bistrița during the communist regime and how they relate to criteria of landscape quality. The case studies were investigated as contribution to Working Group 2 and Working Group 3 of the COST action TU1401 „Renewable energy and landscape quality”, a European network spanning almost all countries of Europe. The context is given by the dialogue between the micro-hydropower and the large hydropower, the first being traditional constructions. We can learn from the watermills as we can from the windmills, is the critical reflection done at the end.

Keywords

• hydropower
• renewable energy
• public participation
• Danube