Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience
This white paper discusses the energy-water nexus and emphasizes the need for co-optimization of hydropower, reservoir management, and water supply operations to enhance resilience and reliability. It focuses on integrating water management intelligence with power system forecasting to address challenges posed by climate variability, including droughts, floods, and wildfires, which stress existing infrastructure designed for different conditions.
The current water management systems struggle with static reservoir operations that do not adapt to real-time hydrologic and meteorological changes. This lack of coordination limits efficiency and resilience, impacting water availability and energy generation. Furthermore, data fragmentation and inconsistent forecasting hinder the development of an integrated digital framework that can support adaptive decision-making.
The white paper proposes the establishment of a next-generation framework that merges water management intelligence with power system forecasting and optimization. The proposed framework aims to create a dynamic management system where water allocation is guided by current needs rather than fixed priorities. This would allow for more flexible responses to varying demands across sectors, including energy generation, irrigation, and ecological support. By coordinating the management of hydropower, irrigation, and water treatment facilities, the framework seeks to enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of water resources.
Success would be measured through several quantitative indicators, including (1) increase in energy resilience hours for hydropower units, (2) growth in dispatchable hydropower capacity and flexibility, (3) improvement in water supply reliability and efficiency 25% enhancement in the accuracy of forecasts for water inflows, (4) enhancement in forecast accuracy for inflows, and (5) reduction in unplanned spills or curtailments, minimizing energy losses.
Citation Formats
TY - DATA
AB - This white paper discusses the energy-water nexus and emphasizes the need for co-optimization of hydropower, reservoir management, and water supply operations to enhance resilience and reliability. It focuses on integrating water management intelligence with power system forecasting to address challenges posed by climate variability, including droughts, floods, and wildfires, which stress existing infrastructure designed for different conditions.
The current water management systems struggle with static reservoir operations that do not adapt to real-time hydrologic and meteorological changes. This lack of coordination limits efficiency and resilience, impacting water availability and energy generation. Furthermore, data fragmentation and inconsistent forecasting hinder the development of an integrated digital framework that can support adaptive decision-making.
The white paper proposes the establishment of a next-generation framework that merges water management intelligence with power system forecasting and optimization. The proposed framework aims to create a dynamic management system where water allocation is guided by current needs rather than fixed priorities. This would allow for more flexible responses to varying demands across sectors, including energy generation, irrigation, and ecological support. By coordinating the management of hydropower, irrigation, and water treatment facilities, the framework seeks to enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of water resources.
Success would be measured through several quantitative indicators, including (1) increase in energy resilience hours for hydropower units, (2) growth in dispatchable hydropower capacity and flexibility, (3) improvement in water supply reliability and efficiency 25% enhancement in the accuracy of forecasts for water inflows, (4) enhancement in forecast accuracy for inflows, and (5) reduction in unplanned spills or curtailments, minimizing energy losses.
AU - Sun, Mucun
A2 - Calderon, Juan Felipe Gallego
A3 - Hansen, Carly
DB - Energy-Water Resilience
DP - Open EI | National Laboratory of the Rockies
DO -
KW - Forecasting
KW - Water supply management
KW - Intelligent watersheds
KW - Hydropower management
KW - integrated energy-water system operations
KW - co-optimization
KW - hydropower
KW - reservoir management
KW - water supply operations
KW - reliability
KW - water management
LA - English
DA - 2026/01/16
PY - 2026
PB - INL
T1 - Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience
UR - https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51
ER -
Sun, Mucun, et al. Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience. INL, 16 January, 2026, Energy-Water Resilience. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51.
Sun, M., Calderon, J., & Hansen, C. (2026). Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience. [Data set]. Energy-Water Resilience. INL. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51
Sun, Mucun, Juan Felipe Gallego Calderon, and Carly Hansen. Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience. INL, January, 16, 2026. Distributed by Energy-Water Resilience. https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51
@misc{EWR_Dataset_51,
title = {Forecast and Intelligence Enabled Reservoir Operations for Energy-Water Resilience},
author = {Sun, Mucun and Calderon, Juan Felipe Gallego and Hansen, Carly},
abstractNote = {This white paper discusses the energy-water nexus and emphasizes the need for co-optimization of hydropower, reservoir management, and water supply operations to enhance resilience and reliability. It focuses on integrating water management intelligence with power system forecasting to address challenges posed by climate variability, including droughts, floods, and wildfires, which stress existing infrastructure designed for different conditions.
The current water management systems struggle with static reservoir operations that do not adapt to real-time hydrologic and meteorological changes. This lack of coordination limits efficiency and resilience, impacting water availability and energy generation. Furthermore, data fragmentation and inconsistent forecasting hinder the development of an integrated digital framework that can support adaptive decision-making.
The white paper proposes the establishment of a next-generation framework that merges water management intelligence with power system forecasting and optimization. The proposed framework aims to create a dynamic management system where water allocation is guided by current needs rather than fixed priorities. This would allow for more flexible responses to varying demands across sectors, including energy generation, irrigation, and ecological support. By coordinating the management of hydropower, irrigation, and water treatment facilities, the framework seeks to enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of water resources.
Success would be measured through several quantitative indicators, including (1) increase in energy resilience hours for hydropower units, (2) growth in dispatchable hydropower capacity and flexibility, (3) improvement in water supply reliability and efficiency 25\% enhancement in the accuracy of forecasts for water inflows, (4) enhancement in forecast accuracy for inflows, and (5) reduction in unplanned spills or curtailments, minimizing energy losses.
},
url = {https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Energy-Water Resilience, INL, https://ewr.openei.org/submissions/51},
note = {Accessed: 2026-04-06}
}
Details
Data from Jan 16, 2026
Last updated Jan 16, 2026
Submitted Jan 16, 2026
Contact
Mucun Sun
Authors
Keywords
Forecasting, Water supply management, Intelligent watersheds, Hydropower management, integrated energy-water system operations, co-optimization, hydropower, reservoir management, water supply operations, reliability, water managementDOE Project Details
Project Name White Papers on Ideas to Advance Energy-Water Resilience
Project Lead
Project Number WP-051