Upstream Tech’s “HydroForecast” Wins 2022 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Award
Demonstrating North America’s Most Accurate Streamflow Forecasts
Sacramento, CA (October 19, 2022) – The National Hydropower Association (NHA) today announced Upstream Tech’s HydroForecast received the 2022 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award in the category of Operational Excellence.
The category of Operational Excellence recognizes waterpower projects that add value to the industry through technical contributions, innovation, engineering, or technology breakthroughs for new hydropower or marine energy technologies.
Upstream Tech recognized that water patterns across the globe are continuing to fluctuate and existing forecasting approaches are insufficient and, of most concern, inaccurate. HydroForecast was developed as a solution hydropower owners/operators could use to address changing water conditions caused by climate change. HydroForecast offers hydropower owners/operators, utilities, conservation groups and others, North America’s most accurate and usable forecasts for past, present and future streamflows. Providing accurate streamflow information is vital for hydropower owners/operators to maximize clean energy production, inform energy market trading, increase revenue generation and meet environmental regulations.
HydroForecast’s performance was validated during a year-long streamflow forecasting competition hosted by the Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation’s (CEATI) Hydropower Operations. HydroForecast performed at unprecedented accuracy. At the end of CEATI’s competition, HydroForecast was deemed more accurate further into future forecasts and provided better insight in both drought conditions and 1,000-year storms, beating out leading federal agency-based competition in the process.
“With the effects of climate change already being seen across the globe and as hydropower operators face changes in water flows in the U.S, Upstream Tech’s HydroForecast program offers promising guidance on how we manage our water here in North America,” said LeRoy Coleman, Director of Communications, NHA. “Upstream Tech’s theory-guided machine learning approach in creating HydroForecast is a testament to innovative thinking to solve complicated problems and responsibly generate clean electricity for millions of Americans.”
“The Upstream Tech team is thrilled to accept the 2022 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Award in the category of Operational Excellence and we appreciate the recognition from the NHA,” said Daniel Palmer, HydroForecast Growth and Partnerships, Upstream Tech. “We built HydroForecast to address the pressing need for water intelligence and we look forward to continuing our work providing decision makers accurate insight into the past, present and future of water.”
About the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Awards
In 1994, the National Hydropower Association (NHA) created the Hydro Achievement Awards to recognize organizations and projects committed to excellence in the development and operation of hydropower. In 1999, NHA added the Outstanding Stewardship of America’s Rivers (OSAR) Report to profile the best examples of hydropower’s ability to generate clean, renewable, reliable and affordable electricity while protecting the riverine ecosystem. Beginning in 2007, these two recognition programs were merged to more effectively provide recognition to deserving organizations and to reflect the changing nature of the hydropower industry, particularly the fact that hydropower can be used in various waterways. The new award program is called the Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW).
OSAW Awards are given out in three distinct categories:
- Operational Excellence: projects that add value to the hydropower industry through technical contributions, innovation, engineering, upgrades and improvements or technology breakthroughs for new hydropower technologies
- Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement: projects that provide enhanced recreational opportunities for the general public, offer measurable benefits that mitigate, conserve, preserve, or enhance the natural resources, or conserve historical aspects of hydropower facilities and their integration with the surrounding community.
- Public Education: programs that effectively communicate and promote the benefits of hydropower through mediums such as curriculum, learning centers, videos or outreach programs.
NHA invites you to learn more about these outstanding endeavors, both past and present, at www.hydro.org/osaw.
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