Hydropower Optimization
Hydropower dams on rivers upstream of a confluence, such as the Mekong and 3S rivers, are altering river water temperature downstream. This trend will continue with new dam construction and negatively impact the ecosystem and livelihood. Satellite remote sensing with physical models now allow a dam operator to forecast reservoir inflow and maximize hydropower production while maintaining the temperature of downstream waters at natural levels. Happy Earth Solutions has developed several such freely available tools that can be readily implemented by any dam management authority to derive more energy without compromising safety and water supply needs. Click here for an illustration of the Happy Earth Solution.
Hydropower Optimization of Dam Networks short-term and long-term scales
Hydropower dams rarely operate stand-alone. In a river system, there is typically a number of dams that need to be operated as a system to meet the objectives of stakeholders. Happy Earth Solutions have developed schemes for co-optimizing the long-term (seasonal) reservoir operating objectives with the short-term (daily) objectives for multi-dam networks to maximize hydropower generation. Long-term optimal reservoir storage provides temporal space to optimize operation of the dams at short-term based on forecasted reservoir inflow. Our solutions are freely-available and modular in design such that any network of dams for any river basin can rapidly customize and implement the tools.
River Temperature Management for Hydropower Operations
Selective water release from the deeper pools of hydropower reservoirs alters the temperature of downstream rivers. Thermal destabilization of downstream rivers can be detrimental to the riverine ecosystem by potentially disturbing the growth stages of various aquatic species. To predict this impact of current and planned hydropower dams worldwide, and to improve river temperature management for better ecosystem outcomes, Happy Earth Solutions have developed a freely available, computationally efficient and fast numerical framework called ‘FUture Temperatures Using River hISTory’ (FUTURIST). The framework used historical records of in-situ river temperatures and remote sensing observations and rapidly predicts temperature change between upstream and downstream rivers that otherwise would be very costly and time consuming using conventional methods. Click here for an illustration of the Happy Earth Solution.