The FlowCast© Reporting System

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FlowCast is an on-line system that dam operators and hydroelectric power producers use to report their flow forecasts to Waterline for publication. FlowCast operates on a central server and is linked to reporting screens that run on the operators' monitors in dam control centers. As flow schedules change, the operators update the FlowCast data on their screens. Within seconds of an update, Waterline will publish a new forecast simultaneously on the Web and on the Waterline telephone hotline. For those sites where the latest automated flow measurements are also being reported, FlowCast continuously updates this information in Waterline reports.

With deregulation of electrical generation, having a reporting system like FlowCast is critically important to hydroelectric power producers who need to report their flow operations to the public. In many parts of the US, an Independent System Operator (ISO) now controls the electrical grid and producers must bid to supply power. It is the ISO that controls the moment by moment operation of the grid based on the bids and the electrical load on the grid. The ISO tells each power producer when to run and how much power to generate. The ISO can and does change its instructions frequently. These changing instructions cause flows to vary, sometimes significantly, as the power producer adjusts its operations to follow the ISO's instructions. FlowCast allows power producers to update their forecasts in just seconds as part of their response to changing ISO instructions.

A company or agency does not have to be a power producer to benefit from using FlowCast. Any public or private agency or company that operates a dam or reservoir can use FlowCast to provide real-time data and/or flow forecasts to the public.

If you would like to have (or supply) flow forecasts for a river below a dam or reservoir that are not already available on Waterline, please let us know by calling Waterline customer service at 800-747-1667 or Contact Us.
Waterline Sites Reported Using FlowCast© - Listed by Company and State



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