Abstract
Headwater benefits at a downstream hydropower project are energy gains that are derived from the installation of upstream reservoirs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is required by law to assess charges of such energy gains to downstream owners of non-federal hydropower projects. The high costs of determining headwater benefits prohibit the use of a complicated model in basins where the magnitude of the benefits is expected to be small. This paper presents a new user-friendly computer model, EFDAM (Enhanced Flow Duration Analysis Method), that not only improves the accuracy of the standard flow duration method but also reduces costs for determining headwater benefits. The EFDAM model includes a MS Windows-based interface module to provide tools for automating input data file preparation, linking and executing of a generic program, editing/viewing of input/output files, and application guidance. The EDFAM was applied to various river basins. An example was given to illustrate the main features of EFDAM application for creating input files and assessing headwater benefits at the Tulloch Hydropower Plant on the Stanislaus River Basin, California.
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