Hydropower plant operators reap much of their revenue in the day-ahead electricity market, where utilities purchase power based on expected demand. However, predicting water flow and power output is difficult, and existing tools often provide forecasts that are overly optimistic. A more reliable way to forecast revenue and plan energy storage is at hand with the development of HydroBoost, an optimization software tool intended to make forecasting more realistic.

The tool created by researchers from U.S. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and U.S. Argonne National Laboratory integrates a seven-day forecasting horizon in its optimization process. It can be used for both run-of-river and reservoir storage sites, and future updates will include support for cascaded sites and pumped storage plants.

The planned upgrades will enable analysis of factors such as battery size and charge capacity, efficiency, charging rates, water inflows, reservoir levels and the financial costs of operation. The tool is intended for use by consultants, operators, utility experts and investors, and was designed to meet technical and financial review standards. The power capacity of hydro units and costs for starting and stopping them can also be evaluated.

HydroBoost is expected to reduce the complexity of planning while producing forecasts that match real-world conditions by offering guidance that reflects realistic scenarios in the day-ahead market.