Technical Papers
Apr 5, 2021

Sensitivity of Forecast Value in Multiobjective Reservoir Operation to Forecast Lead Time and Reservoir Characteristics

Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147, Issue 6

Abstract

Streamflow forecasts can be used to improve reservoir operation decision-making, yet the sensitivity of forecast value to forecast lead time and reservoir characteristics in multiobjective reservoir operations is rarely investigated simultaneously. We incorporate streamflow forecasts into reservoir operation by applying radial basis functions (RBFs) and evaluate the forecast value conditioned on different types of forecast lead time and reservoir characteristics. From a case study of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in the Hanjiang River basin, China, forecast value is assessed by comparing Pareto fronts of forecast-informed and no-forecast reservoir operation rules from multiobjective optimization algorithms maximizing power generation and water supply. Subsequently, we vary the installed hydropower plant capacity and capacity-inflow ratio (ratio of active reservoir storage capacity and annual reservoir inflow volume) of the Danjiangkou Reservoir to investigate corresponding forecast values in terms of magnitude and distribution. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of streamflow forecasts predominantly leads to an increase in power generation in wet years, yet the monthly distribution of generation varies with water supply. Additionally, forecast value increases with forecast lead time, resulting in approximately 10, 15, and 18 million yuan annually for forecast lead times of 10, 20, and 30 days, respectively. Finally, forecast value is demonstrated to generally increase as installed capacity increases and decrease as capacity-inflow ratio increases, however, the distribution of forecast value within a year is more sensitive to the capacity-inflow ratio.

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Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (all simulation data of sensitivity tests).

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51879192 and 51539009).

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Go to Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 147Issue 6June 2021

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Received: May 6, 2020
Accepted: Jan 5, 2021
Published online: Apr 5, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Sep 5, 2021

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Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706. Email: [email protected]
Shenglian Guo [email protected]
Professor, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan Univ., Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan Univ., Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]
Professor, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Wuhan Univ., Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China; State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan Univ., Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3777-6561
Paul Block, M.ASCE
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706.

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