Abstract

Progressive climate change and growing energy demand are increasing the importance of renewable energy sources, including hydropower, particularly in regions with favourable hydrological conditions. This study aims to assess development characteristics and the feasibility of determining the hydropower potential of the Radunia River in northern Poland, taking environmental conditions into account. The study employed a hydrological–energy approach based on long-term flow data analysis, the section method, and calculations of water flow power, supplemented by analyses of flow duration curves and differential integral curves. The Radunia River is an example of a lowland watercourse with a relatively high hydroelectric potential for northern Poland, resulting from a favourable combination of hydrological and environmental factors. The results indicate a marked variation in hydropower potential along the river’s course, with the potential concentrated in the middle and lower reaches, where the highest flows and gradients occur. The calculated total potential is approximately 7.07 MW, and annual energy production exceeds 61.9 GWh, with actual production in the existing cascade system of power stations being close to the theoretical values. At the same time, accounting for environmental constraints results in a slight reduction in potential (less than 1%), underscoring the importance of a sustainable approach. The conclusions indicate that the Radunia River is an example of the effective use of water resources, and that the further development of hydropower should be based on the modernisation of existing infrastructure using new environmental technologies, whilst complying with environmental protection requirements.

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