Geography PhD candidate Johanna Engstrom recently published her master’s thesis Effect of Northern Hemisphere Teleconnections on the Hydropower Production in Southern Sweden, which explores the climate drivers of hydropower production in southern Sweden, in the Journal of Water Resource Planning and Management. In addition to increasing our understanding of what large scale atmospheric drivers affect this region, the findings were welcomed by E.ON GmbH, one of the world’s largest energy production companies. E.ON’s renewable energies forecasting team have incorporated Engstrom’s findings into their hydropower production forecasts for Scandinavia.
“I was so happy to hear that my results are beneficial,” said Engstrom. “I’m really passionate about renewable energies and want my research to benefit its development and make it more reliable. For my PhD I have changed my geographical area to the southeast U.S., a region with numerous hydropower plants and significant potential for further development. I hope my research can expand our knowledge of the hydroclimatology of the southeast. This would help water managers and decision makers to make more informed decisions, and could help boost hydropower production!”
Engstrom is in her third year pursuing a PhD in Geography, under the supervision of College of Liberal Arts and Science Associate Dean Dr. Peter Waylen. Her research interests include physical geography, climatology, and renewable energy.