Idaho Power s largest energy resource consists of the utility s 17 hydroelectric plants along the Snake River. Sub-average water supply in recent years has highlighted the need for optimal water utilization. PI System products provide Idaho Power the means to calculate in real-time the most efficient use of water at the hydro generator and plant level. By transforming the existing paper efficiency curves to a tabular format and collecting real-time water flows and net head levels via SCADA, a built-in PI System function called Bi-Linear Interpolation can be used to calculate the real-time efficiency. This project effectively replaced the tedious work of reading paper curves and gave operators the power to make optimal use of water along the Snake River.
Speaker
Megan Eckroth
Megan Eckroth is an Energy Management System (EMS) Engineer II with Idaho Power. She received her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is currently a student at University of Idaho working towards her Master's of Engineering. Prior to working for Idaho Power she was a Transformer Design Engineer at both SPX Transformer Solutions and Eaton's Cooper Power, specializing in large power transformers up to 60 MVA and 345 kV and distribution padmount transformers up to 10 MVA and 46 kV. In her free time she enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband, Kurt, and black lab, Midnight.