PNNL

The Challenge

With an average age of 60+ years, the United States hydropower fleet requires smart modernization to reduce costs and enhance the overall reliability and value of the nation’s longest-serving renewable energy technology. As the electric power grid prioritizes reliability and resilience while valuing an evolving mix of variable renewable energy sources, hydropower technology requires the integration of control systems, analytics, simulation, and optimization to remain competitive.

The Solution

A digital twin (DT) is a virtual representation of a physical entity, and it is created with various data sources, like sensors, simulations, and data. Sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the launch of the Digital Twins for Hydropower framework will affordably modernize the nation’s hydropower plant fleet.

• Digital Representation: A virtual model of a hydropower facility is created using data collected from sensors, devices, historical data records, maintenance records, and other sources.
• Data Integration: Data from sensors, devices, and other sources are used to update and maintain a DT’s accuracy and relevance.
• Analytics and Simulation: A DT can run simulations and perform analytics to predict behavior, test changes, and optimize performance.
• Communication: Information flows between a DT and the physical object it models through sensors and other data connections.
   

Next-Generation Hydropower

DTs play a significant role in optimizing hydropower facilities’ operation, maintenance, and overall performance.

• Performance Monitoring and Analysis: Analyzing real-time data allows operators to monitor a facility’s performance and identify deviations from optimal operating conditions.

• Predictive Maintenance: DTs predict equipment failures and maintenance needs by analyzing historical and real-time sensor data, enabling maintenance activities at the right time, reducing downtime, and avoiding costly unplanned outages.

• Optimizing Energy Production: By analyzing data and simulating different operating conditions, operators can identify ways to optimize energy production, such as adjusting turbine settings, managing water reservoir levels, and coordinating energy generation with demand fluctuations.

• Resource Management and Environmental Impact Assessment: DTs manage water resources more efficiently by modeling water inflows, reservoir levels, and environmental factors. This aids in minimizing water usage and the potential effects of different operational strategies on the environment, helping operators make informed decisions that minimize negative impacts.

Case Studies of Digital Twins for Hydropower

Alder Dam in Washington State

The Alder Hydroelectric Development is part of the Nisqually Hydroelectric Project located on the Nisqually River in Washington State. It is owned and operated by the City of Tacoma’s Public Utilities Department and is a significant component of the Nisqually River Hydroelectric Project.

The Alder Dam was completed in 1945. It rises 330 feet above bedrock, stretching 1,600 feet across. The two 25,000-kilowatt turbine generators in its powerhouse produce clean, renewable hydroelectric energy to serve approximately 18,000 homes per year.

Leading the DT project, PNNL and ORNL worked with Tacoma Power to collect data on water levels, flow rates, and other important parameters to train a DT, which was then trained, modeled, and validated against real data.

The goal of this project was for operators to monitor the performance of the facility and identify any deviations from the optimal operating conditions. DTs are capable of simulating events and conditions, predicting maintenance and repairs, and reviewing outcomes using the DT dashboard. In 2025, a DT was successfully created to mimic the operations of one of the generating units that consists of a Francis turbine for the Alder Dam.

Rocky Reach Dam in Washington State

The Rocky Reach Hydro Project is located in north central Washington State on the Columbia River, which was first recognized for its hydroelectric potential in 1934 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In the 1950s, the site became the focus of study by the Chelan County Public Utility District, and the dam was eventually built one mile downriver from the original site selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Construction for the Rocky Reach Hydro Project was completed in 1971, with four additional generating units added to the planned seven units in the original powerhouse. The units were upgraded to new adjustable-blade turbine runners in 1995, a fish bypass system was added in 2003, and the powerhouse was upgraded in 2006. The generator capacity is 1,349 megawatts, which is sufficient for providing power to 7 million people in the Pacific Northwest.

The project team is working with the Chelan County Public Utility District to build a DT of one of the generating units with a Kaplan turbine. The process involves collecting high-resolution operational data to train a model so that operators have the ability to continuously monitor and optimize operations using the DT dashboard—all at zero cost to the operator.
 

View and download the Digital Twins flyer.

To learn more, access the Digital Twin dashboard. For more information, email the team at digitaltwinhydro@pnnl.gov.