In hydropower, optimising also means knowing when and how to get the most from the energy produced. Long-term planning, intraday optimisation, bidding strategies and entry price: this is how IDRO links water resource management to market decisions.
Getting the most out of hydropower means deciding when and how to produce to earn the maximum from every MWh, while respecting water availability, plant constraints and market conditions. This is where planning, optimisation and bidding strategy must work together.
Why planning hydropower generation is increasingly complex
Market volatility, water availability and operational constraints make it increasingly difficult to plan production and define effective bidding strategies. A reservoir is not just a plant: it is a store of energy to be used when it is worth most, without breaching levels, minimum flows and concession obligations.
How IDRO tackles these challenges
IDRO integrates three levels of decision-making:
- Long-term planning, to optimise the use of water resources taking market uncertainty into account.
- Intraday optimisation, to adapt production and sales strategies as operating and market conditions evolve.
- Bidding strategies and entry price, to support bid definition on the MGP and MI markets, hour by hour.
The optimisation algorithms, including stochastic ones, are configured to the specifics of each plant without custom development. What-if and deviation analyses let you assess the effect of a choice in advance, including with a view to concession renewals.
From water resource to market decisions
The value comes from linking the physical and economic management of the plant fleet. In IDRO Suite the forecast production feeds bidding on the production units, unavailability updates the plan and Terna metering closes the cycle with settlement. With ERGObid offers are submitted on MGP, MI and XBID in compliance with the TIDE.
IDRO Suite today manages over 3,000 MW of installed capacity, with an average increase in yield of 13% reported by customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is IDRO?
IDRO is MAS Consulting's software for managing hydropower plants: production planning and optimisation, bidding strategy on the MGP and MI markets, monitoring of constraints and maintenance, in a single platform within IDRO Suite.
What does it mean to value hydroelectric energy?
It means deciding when and how to generate in order to obtain maximum value from every MWh, taking into account water availability, operating constraints and market price trends.
What is the entry price?
It is the minimum price at which it pays to offer a plant's energy on the market: IDRO calculates it hour by hour and uses it to build bids on MGP and MI.
Talk to us
Want to see IDRO at work on your data?
A demo with the people who develop the product, on a case similar to yours. No commitment.
