Frequently Asked Questions

All input data should be provided in CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format. The required files and parameters include:

• Flow data CSV: Historical or projected water flow rates in time series format
• Price data CSV: Historical or projected power prices in time series format
• Minimum flow data CSV (optional): Environmental or regulatory flow constraints

System constraints that need to be specified:

• Maximum generation capacity (MW)
• Maximum discharge rate (cfs)
• Ramp up/down rates (cfs/hr)

The optimization process involves several key steps:

• Analysis of historical flow patterns and power prices
• Optimization of water dispatch to maximize revenue
• Enforcement of environmental and operational constraints
• Generation of detailed visualizations including:
  • Flow and generation patterns
  • Revenue analysis
  • Cumulative revenue comparison
  • Daily flow distributions

While HFVT is a powerful tool, it has some important limitations:

• Optimization maintains conservation of daily flow (suitable for dams with reservoirs, not for run-of-river assets without storage)
• Perfect price foresight assumption in the optimization window
• Simplified representation without detailed equipment constraints
• Focus on single-reservoir systems without cascade effects
• Only day-ahead LMPs considered in optimization
• No consideration for ancillary services revenue

The scenario comparison feature allows you to:

• Compare up to 4 different optimization scenarios simultaneously
• Analyze revenue differences between scenarios
• Visualize discharge patterns and generation strategies
• Track cumulative revenue across different scenarios
• Identify optimal operational parameters for your facility