Evaluating power grid model hydropower feasibility with a river operations model

Magee, Timothy M.; Turner, Sean W. D.; Clement, Mitch A.; Oikonomou, Konstantinos; Zagona, Edith A.; Voisin, Nathalie

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac83db

Evaluating power grid model hydropower feasibility with a river operations model

Journal Article · Mon Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Environmental Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac83db· OSTI ID:1884284

^[1]; ^[2]; Clement, Mitch A. ^[1]; Oikonomou, Konstantinos ^[2]; ^[1]; ^[3]

Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

Production cost models (PCMs) simulate dispatch of generators across a large power grid and are used widely by planners to study the reliability of electricity supply. As energy systems transition away from the thermoelectric technologies that have traditionally balanced electricity supply and demand, hydropower and its representation in PCMs is of increasing importance. A limitation of PCMs applied to continental power grids with diverse generation portfolios is that hydropower generation is simulated without full consideration of complex river dynamics, leading to possible misrepresentation of grid flexibility and performance. In addition, data used in PCMs may reflect outdated operating policies. In this paper we propose a hydropower generation feasibility test for PCMs. The approach uses a detailed hydropower model to determine whether the hourly hydropower schedule from a PCM with simplified monthly parameterization can be attained after accounting for realistic river dynamics and operating policies, such as spill requirements and general water movement and balance through a cascade reservoir system. We perform this hydropower generation test for the ‘Big 10’ hydropower system on the Columbia River (part of the Western Interconnect of the United States), revealing 9% overestimation of available hydropower generation in a PCM solution in an average hydrologic year. Our evaluation provides insight on the cost and opportunities for better representing hydropower in PCMs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Water Power Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1884284

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-169958

Journal Information:: Environmental Research Letters, Journal Name: Environmental Research Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 17; ISSN 1748-9326

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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