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A Hybrid AI-Optimization Framework for Resilient Hydropower Operations to Support Grid Stability, Extreme Weather Management, and Large-Scale Industrial Loads

This white paper supports a two-stage decision-support framework that links fast, probabilistic inflow forecasts from modern machine learning and generative AI with multistage stochastic optimization for hydropower scheduling. By propagating uncertainty from prediction into operat...

Ploussard, Q., and Feinstein, J.

AI-Enhanced Hydropower Systems: Smart Dams for a Resilient Future

This paper focuses on water-energy, using AI for smart, holistic hydropower operations to enhance water for energy resilience. The existing challenges include (a) increasing demand for water and electricity, requiring a shift to flexible, real-time hydropower operations due to ch...

Varadharajan, C., Ajami, N., Brodie, E., Ciulla, F., Falco, N., Feldman, D., Newcomer, M., Dwivedi, D., Li, Y., Nakata, R., Nakata, N., Nico, P., Williams, K., Mahoney, M., Ramakrishnan, L., and Cholia, S.

An Energy-Water Nexus Foundation Model Ecosystem to Advance System Resiliency and Affordability

This white paper presents how an AI-driven foundation model ecosystem for hydropower and the electric grid, integrated with a large language model (LLM) agent can address the "Water for Energy" challenge and modernize coordinated planning and operations of the U.S. energy-water ne...

Kwon, J., Kim, K., Levin, T., and Botterud, A.

Hybrid Bioenergy and Hydropower Systems: Leveraging Heterogeneous Biomass and Wastes from Watersheds

Sandia National Laboratories and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) explore the water-for-energy nexus in this white paper, focusing on the impact of heterogeneous watershed waste materials on hydropower facilities. They identify key challenges--such as pile burning, wildfires, and d...

Quiroz-Arita, C., and Paudel, R.

Energy-Water Resilience through Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower (UPSH): Integrating Water Infrastructure for Enhanced Energy and Water Security

This white paper provides an overview of Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower (UPSH), a concept that addresses the intersection of water for energy and energy-water topics by utilizing subsurface formations for energy storage, leveraging excess surface water, treated wastewater, ...

Atkinson, T., Acharya, M., Russell, G., Colldeweih, R., Saulsbury, B., Reese, S., Mosier, T., and Schmidt, H.

A Framework for Improving Locational Marginal Price Estimates for Technoeconomic Analysis of Hydropower Investments and Operational Decisions

The focus is on improving the analytics supporting hydropower investment decisions through the more accurate characterization of the locational marginal prices (LMPs) that will define future energy payments. Enhanced analytics around LMP prediction could also be used to improve op...

Balducci, P., DeSomber, K., and Zhou, Z.

Enabling Energy-Water Resilience in U.S. Data Centers: Water-Aware Grid Planning and Operations with Infrastructure-Compatible Cooling

Rapid, concentrated expansion of AI data centers is reshaping electricity demand profiles, local infrastructure requirements, and regional resource constraints. These facilities are often sized from tens to hundreds of megawatts with multi-gigawatt campus clusters. They are relati...

Zhou, Z., Wu, M., Qiu, F., Muehleisen, R., Zhao, D., Yan, E., and Worek, W.

Energy-Water System Resilience to Flooding

This white paper addresses the resilience challenges and opportunities within interdependent energy-water systems, particularly under the stress of flooding events. It describes how large-scale flood events impact these systems, posing risks such as operational constraints, infras...

McPherson, T., Giovando, J., Hou, H., Daniel, B., Bracken, C., Li, X., and Bixler, T.

Supporting adoption of advanced forecast informed reservoir operations tools to improve agricultural and municipal water and energy outcomes

Expanding the use of advanced forecast-informed reservoir operations tools can optimize or improve water delivery and storage for energy generation, irrigation, and municipal uses. Advanced forecast-informed data and tools are increasingly being integrated into large-scale reservo...

Jorgensen, J., Giovando, J., Pracheil, B., Hou, H., and Niazi, H.

Gaps Between Western U.S. Reservoir Inflows and Headwater Precipitation Timing, Amount, and Phase

Snowmelt from mountain headwater basins supplies approximately 80% of the runoff to reservoirs in the western United States (WUS), and is therefore a key component of western hydropower. Yet predicting runoff from hydrometeorological data in complex terrain (and its sensitivity to...

Rudisill, W., and Feldman, D.

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