Conventional hydropower use has been heavily criticised for harming fish during turbine passage and altering the habitat and the aquatic community composition of rivers and streams through the construction of weirs. The main difference between hydrokinetic hydropower plants and conventional run-of-river hydropower plants is that hydrokinetic hydropower plants do not require a transverse structure and therefore do not dam the river. As there have been no studies on the ecological effects of this technology to date, this research project is using sensor fish measurements, ARIS sonar and GoPro video observations at the innovative ‘Energyfish’ hydrokinetic hydropower plant to investigate potential effects on fish passing through the turbines and fish behaviour in the vicinity of the plant. The findings will serve as a basis for operators and authorities to assess the future ecological compatibility of this technology.
