“Hydropower Generation and Operation Planning for Ethiopia”
Country of Study
Ethiopia
Institution
Addis Ababa University Institute of Technology
Expected Year of Completion
2024
Thematic Area
Energy and Engineering
Education
Firehiwot is pursuing a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Addis Ababa University Institute of Technology in Ethiopia, and works as a General Manager at Incode Engineering Solutions Plc. She has an MSc in Electrical Power Engineering from the same institution and is expected to complete her PhD in 2024.
Research Summary
Hydropower contributes the bulk of Ethiopia’s power production, amounting to 95% of the systems’ total capacity. The result is that the Ethiopian power consumer suffers from frequent power outages during dry seasons due to poor weather forecasting and a lack of proper water management. In addition, the operation of the Ethiopian power system is based on the historical generation pattern of the power plants. Therefore, power rationing is introduced as soon as water levels in the reservoirs start dropping. Firehiwot’s main objective in her research is to develop a long-term hydropower planning model that can be used in the operation of the Ethiopian power system. The Model optimises the scheduling of the hydropower plants considering the daily energy demand, reservoir content, and uncertainties in the inflow to minimise load shedding and deliver reliable energy throughout the year.
Publications:
1. Inflow Scenario Generation for the Ethiopian Hydropower System
2. Deterministic Hydropower Simulation Model for Ethiopia
