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Hydro power optimization in Energy Optima 3
Energy Optima 3 is an ideal software tool for modelling and optimization of hydro power systems, both in combination with power plants and stand-alone systems.
All types of hydro power systems can be modelled in Energy Optima 3, such as water levels, reservoirs/pump storage, cascading river plants, pumping stations, bypasses, specific behaviors and interdependencies, constraints (such as min and max levels), regulations, time delays, rainfall, snow melting and water inflow forecasts. The economical aspects of all these components are needed in the optimizations to minimize operational and maintenance costs.
The most important forecasts for hydropower optimization involve predicting both natural inflows and market conditions to make operational decisions that maximize efficiency, revenue, and reliability.
Benefits with Energy Optima 3 Hydro Power Optimization:
- Accurate production plans for both short-term and long-term optimization of hydro power systems, stand-alone or connected to power plants and other renewables
- Maximise the revenues from trading markets
- Unlock the economic potential and optimal usage for the specific hydro power system
- Calculate how to best evolve the system and the optimal size of new installations
- Decision support for a safe and economic operation
Modelling and optimization
With the possibility of increased profits from optimal participation on trading markets, the need for hydro power opti-mization has also increased. With hydro power optimization in Energy Optima 3, the production plans will show you exactly how to run your hydro power systems in the most economic way.
With hydro power in your energy mix, or as a standalone hydro power producer, you have the opportunity to utilize the extreme peaks of positive and negative spot prices.
The system contains a user friendly Availability Calendar similar to Outlook, with direct connection to the optimizations. This provides a fast and easy overview and management of the availabilities of all the units in the system.
Time horizons are critical in hydropower optimization because they determine the type of decisions you can make and the value of different forecast inputs. In Energy Optima 3, you can work both both short-term and long-term horizons.
All types of hydro power systems and trading markets can be modelled in Energy Optima 3, as well as special modelling for specific behaviors, interdependencies, advanced constraints, regulations, time delays.
Energy Optima 3 module for Hydro Power Optimization offers:
- Weather and hydrological forecasts
- Electricity market forecasts
- Management of reservoir and water system levels
- Optimization of pumped storage
- Operational and maintenance plans
- Price-based scheduling
- Multi-scenario optimization
- Optimization of trading markets
- Confirmation of production plans and trading volumes
- Co-optimization with other renewables and connected power plants in the energy system
Follow-up yesterday's production and optimize for coming days
Results - past and future operation
It is important to know how to operate the hydro power units in the most economically optimal way for the coming days, but it is also important to follow-up the past production.
Key time horizons used in hydropower optimization, and what kind of valuable information each one provides:
- Past production: Evaluation of optimal value against the measured value. Foundation for coming operation strategies and lessons learned.
- Real-time to Intra-day (minutes to hours): Immediate dispatch and frequency regulation, respond to market price spikes or ancillary services needs, unit availability and operating constraints, real-time electricity prices (e.g., spot market).
- Short-term (1–7 days): Daily generation planning, optimal water release decisions, bidding into day-ahead energy and ancillary markets. Day-ahead market prices, short-term inflow forecasts (rain, snowmelt), load forecasts, operational limits and reservoir rules.
- Medium-term (1–4 weeks): Weekly to monthly planning. Weekly water allocation and storage planning. Medium-term bidding strategy. Maintenance scheduling. Weekly inflow forecasts and ensemble hydrological models. Forward price curves for electricity. System demand forecasts. Reservoir level targets. Environmental flow requirements.
- Seasonal (1–6 Months): Monthly to seasonal scale. Seasonal reservoir management. Strategic hedging and long-term contracts. Snowpack depth and melt forecasts. Seasonal precipitation and temperature trends. Climate model outputs (ENSO, drought indices). Water rights and multi-use priorities.
- Long-Term (1–10+ Years): Strategic and investment planning (multi-year). Infrastructure development or upgrades. Climate change adaptation. Historical inflow trends and climate projections, regulatory scenarios, market evolution (carbon pricing, renewable mix), demand and grid development forecasts.
CONCLUSION:
Hydro power optimizations in Energy Optima 3 calculate the economically optimal operation of any type of hydro power stations. It includes run-river stations, pump storages and dams. Different time delays between different power stations in a river system are calculated and optimized as well as the water levels in the dams. It can also optimize the power balance from hydro power together with for example the power from thermal power plants. Provided that the electricity trading module is connected to the system, different types of electricity market products are taken into account in the calculations.
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Unlock the potential of your energy systems with Energy Opticon AB. Our advanced solutions empower you to optimize energy consumption, reduce costs, and enhance sustainability. Take the first step towards a more efficient future by exploring how our technology can transform your operations.