Autonomous Water Quality Monitoring for the Hydropower

In hydroelectric power operations, process water plays several critical roles, and monitoring its quality is an essential part of ensuring operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and environmental stewardship.

Process water is often used, for example, in turbine cooling and lubrication, for flushing and cleaning systems, and fire suppression. Some use water systems that require deoxygenated or chemically treated water to prevent corrosion or scaling in metal parts or pipelines. Quality across these processes is essential. Poor monitoring can lead to a build-up of dissolved minerals, silt, or biological growth. Inadequate maintenance can reduce turbine efficiency and increase maintenance costs. There are also state and federal water discharge regulations to consider, as well as operational safety measures to take into account. Additionally, maintaining water quality helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems. In essence, monitoring for water quality ensures effective operations.

However, many hydropower plants still rely on manual interventions and third-party lab testing. But did you know you can automatically test your process water on-site and in real-time via KETOS’ autonomous water quality monitoring solutions?

KETOS uses automation and AI to monitor and continuously analyze parameters such as:

• Turbidity
• pH
• Conductivity
• Heavy metals
• And more

By integrating real-time data with operational dashboards, hydroelectric power managers can optimize performance, extend asset life, and comply with environmental regulations—all while reducing manual labor and lab-related costs. Learn more about how KETOS can help your hydropower plant manage process water autonomously while cutting costs and increasing efficiencies by downloading our fact sheet.