California’s high-elevation dams could generate considerably less power over the next 40 years as a result of rising temperatures associated with climate change, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of California, Davis.

Under a warmer, drier climate projected in computer models, hydroelectric dams above 1,000 feet in elevation in the state would produce about 20 percent less power by 2050, the researchers found. Under this climate scenario, electricity production would also occur earlier in the year, when demand for power is lower.

California Dams to Feel Impact of Climate Change (NY Times Blogs)

Study: Estimated impacts of climate warming on California’s high-elevation hydropower (pdf)