Hydro Asset Owner - Early Underperformance Detection

Challenge: Without an expected performance model, it's impossible to know in the moment how the scheme should be performing. When underperformance goes undetected, thousands of pounds of lost generation can accrue before anyone notices. Monthly manual data downloads and reports might surface issues—but by then, significant generation has already been lost.

Solution: We ingested HMI/PLC telemetry every 10 minutes—river level, power output, and other system parameters—via a secure data pipeline. Live data was continuously compared to Konductor's expected performance model, tuned to the site's characteristics. When the power output of the turbine dropped against the expected performance, the operations team was alerted immediately with clear, actionable context.

Results: A relay controlling one of the turbine's spear valves had failed and the spear valve was unable to open fully, meaning the turbine was not reaching the expected power output for the given river level conditions. This issue was immediately detected and the service team rapidly put in place a resolution plan. Within a single weekend, Konductor flagged sustained underperformance versus the expected curve. The team intervened promptly, restoring output to the modelled trajectory and recovering ~80 MWh of generation that would likely have been missed until the next monthly review.