Software

HERA - Hydropower and Environmental Resource Assessment

Complete support for the development of hydropower and pumped-hydro projects, including economic viability assessments, socio-environmental impacts, and integrated decision-making support.

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About HERA

HERA is software that supports the development of hydropower and pumped-hydro storage projects. It evaluates the hydropower potential of river basins, considering the economic viability of projects, as well as social and environmental impacts. HERA contributes to the decision-making process among stakeholders, which is complex as it usually involves conflicting interests, seeking to balance energy production with conservation.

Engineering design

Simulates the actual construction of power plants, including areas flooded by reservoirs.

Structure design

Analyzes different types of diversion arrangements, dams, spillways, hydraulic circuits, and powerhouses.

Cost calculation

Considers civil works volumes, equipment characteristics, and socio-environmental metrics.

HERA maximizes economic benefit while minimizing socio-environmental impacts

The optimization process is formulated as a non-linear, integer, and stochastic mathematical problem. Its objective is to select hydropower and pumped-hydro storage (PSH) projects to be developed, also considering other benefits for the electrical system, such as the integration of variable renewable sources and socio-environmental constraints.

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Geoprocessing capabilities

To accurately simulate the design of hydropower and pumped-hydro storage plants, HERA uses Digital Terrain Models, geological, and hydrological information. HERA overlays socio-environmental and infrastructure layers, and areas flooded by reservoirs to define the associated costs and constraints. For each location, different alternatives can be evaluated by varying the hydraulic head and engineering arrangements. It is possible to visualize the plant schematic of each project with estimated costs.
  • Land cover
  • Population density
  • Environmentally protected areas
  • Urban and rural areas
  • Pipelines, canals, and others

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Integration of renewable sources into electrical grids

Conventional hydropower and pumped-hydro storage projects are essential for integrating Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) sources into electrical grids, as they significantly increase system flexibility. Therefore, HERA was developed to seamlessly integrate with PSR’s OptGen expansion planning tool and SDDP dispatch planning tool. HERA generates hydropower candidates that can be selected by OptGen and operated in detail by SDDP, offering a complete solution for efficient energy management.

Complementary tools

The NCP license includes additional tools developed to enhance your experience and productivity. PSRIO is a business intelligence tool for advanced data analysis and visualization, while PSR Cloud is a platform for remote execution in a distributed environment.

PSRIO

B.I. for Data Analysis

PSR Cloud

Cloud Computing Environment

Need support?

As an active user of PSR solutions, you have access to our support services and our Knowledge Hub — a platform where you can find documentation, frequently asked questions, and detailed methodologies.

Technical support
Knowledge Hub