Flow Tradeoff Tool
Simultaneously evaluate tradeoffs between hydropower energy production and environmental flows to optimize outcomes
(Design by Cortland Johnson | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
The Flow Tradeoff Tool is a free, comprehensive software toolkit designed to evaluate trade-offs between hydropower energy production and environmental flows. It connects flow decisions to energy production and ecological impacts, allowing users to assess how operational changes affect fish habitats and revenue. Tailored for hydropower operators, environmental managers, policymakers, and industry users, this toolkit helps evaluate how different flow requirements influence electricity generation and grid reliability, promoting a balance between energy production and environmental stewardship.
Use the Flow Tradeoff Tool to address complex challenges related to:
- Balancing multiple objectives in hydropower operations
- Managing increasing demands on water resources
Designing intelligent operational policies for downstream habitat conditions, power generation, and economic benefits
Key Features of the Flow Tradeoff Tool
- Receive a comprehensive analysis: Clearly links hydropower operational decisions with power system metrics and ecological impacts
- Assess habitat and revenue impacts at the same time: Evaluates the effects of operational decisions on both fish habitat and energy generation revenue
- Leverage practical models: Incorporates flow data for detailed environmental analysis using widely accepted modeling software
- Cleary visualize results: Quantifies environmental flow requirements and grid services visually
Capabilities of the Flow Tradeoff Tool
- Integrates habitat estimation (HEC-RAS), reservoir modeling (ModSim), and power price forecasting (National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Cambium Database)
- Explores various operational policy scenarios
- Supports case study analysis, allowing users to customize inputs and outputs
Upcoming Webinars
The Flow Tradeoff Tool will be released in spring 2025. Before then, learn more about the tool in two upcoming webinars.
Quantifying fish habitat and flow differences
June 4th, 2025 at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Register here
This webinar will showcase how ecological outcomes are quantified in the free Flow Tradeoff Tool, including how HEC-RAS is used for water and habitat modeling capabilities. Sub-daily flow metrics for quantitatively comparing different flows calculated by the Flow Tradeoff Tool will also be described and demonstrated. Participants will learn how these metrics can support the development of flow regimes that explore water and aquatic species health and community well-being. There will be an opportunity for in-depth discussion and sharing of user perspectives on how this tool addresses hydropower impacts on in-stream environments and surrounding communities.
Estimating hydropower generation and generation revenue
June 24th, 2025 at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time) | Register here
This webinar will focus on power generation and pricing methods, specifically examining hydropower metrics that encompass energy generation and revenue calculations based on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Cambium database. Participants will learn about Cambium's detailed hourly price projections, and it can be utilized to estimate hydropower revenue across U.S. power grid regions from 2020 through 2050. The session will explore strategies for optimizing multiple objectives, highlighting how to balance energy generation and revenue goals with habitat and flow metrics. Attendees will gain insights into navigating the tradeoff space between various energy and environmental objectives, learning techniques to identify solutions that maximize hydropower benefits while minimizing ecological impacts.
Recorded Webinar
Navigating Energy-Environment Tradeoffs: A Deep Dive into the New Flexibility Assessment Tool
Recorded on December 5, 2024
Case Study Development and Collaboration Opportunity
The team behind the Flow Tradeoff Tool is actively developing and testing case studies that explore both environmental and power metrics for hydropower systems. If you are interested in testing the tool for case study applications, please reach out to Alisha Fernandez and Brenda Pracheil.
The Flow Tradeoff Tool was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and RTI International, with support from the Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office.