Improving hydropower flexibility by synergizing independently managed utilities

Increasing the flexibility of hydropower allows operators to produce at optimal time ranges, not only dependent on the demand flow but also on the price trends. However, the possibility to improve hydropower flexibility can be hindered when assets are managed by different utilities. Therefore, finding synergies between operators of different assets is of great interest. The studied case consists of a highly interconnected system located in the Upper-Rhone Basin of the Swiss Alps. A wide range of possibilities was investigated to increase the system’s energetic capacity. The main concepts include the implementation of a new reservoir which can reach an altitude of 2230 masl, the heightening of existing reservoirs, adding pumping systems and creating new stages connecting the different structures. Rethinking existing hydropower systems is a must as in some cases improving the performance of a hydraulic system can be done by relatively small modifications but lead to greater efficiency.