Business

EWN and HYDROGRID partner for hydropower planning and optimization

EWN and HYDROGRID partner for hydropower planning and optimization

Digitalization company HYDROGRID announced a software collaboration with Kantonalen Elektrizitätswerk Nidwalden (EWN) in Switzerland to use HYDROGRID’s technology to assist EWN in the optimal planning and optimization of its hydropower plants in daily operations.

HYDROGRID said the optimal positioning of EWN’s portfolio, including eight hydropower plants, in the rapidly changing Swiss electricity markets will be ensured. EWN’s hydro projects include multi-stage storage chains and run-of-the-river plants. The use of the real-time solution HYDROGRID Insight allows EWN to digitize and streamline its forecasting processes, strengthening its sustainable energy generation and desired digitization efforts.

The production planning solution, HYDROGRID Insight, combines machine learning algorithms for inflow and electricity price forecasts with intelligent short-, medium-, and long-term optimization for run-of-the-river, storage, and cascade hydropower – all in an integrated and fully automatic software package. This enables hydropower plant operators to respond in real-time to weather events, minimize water losses, and maximize their electricity market revenues automatically while ensuring environmental and operational safety as well as compliance with regulations, according to a release.

“After comprehensive evaluation, we chose HYDROGRID Insight, an optimization solution that seamlessly integrates into our existing IT landscape and enables optimal hydrological and market-based management of our portfolio,” said Roman Schilter, project manager of EWN Production. “This partnership aligns with our mission to fully exploit the potential of our hydropower, ensuring the secure, economical, and sustainable energy supply to the customers of Nidwalden.”

In August 2023, Hydro Review reported that Småkraft AS announced a strategic collaboration with HYDROGRID to further optimize the efficiency and sustainability of Småkraft’s hydropower operations by leveraging the real-time predictive planning technology embedded in HYDROGRID Insight.