B2a: New Tool for Simulating Downstream Flows to Assess Energy Flexibility-Environment Tradeoffs

Instream flow requirements are a common protection, mitigation, and enhancement measure negotiated as part of hydropower licenses, but flows designed to support variable renewable energy may fluctuate at time scales shorter than current tools are designed to assess.

This demonstration highlights some features of the Energy Flexibility-Environment Tradeoff Toolkit—a tool that combines a basic reservoir model, generation revenue model, and quantificatoin of habitat availability to provide measures of energy (MW, revenue generated) and environment (depth and velocity-based habitat availability) outcomes and time scales relevant to hydropower flexibility needs.