So, what does it mean to manage a river system?
There are an untold number of factors that determine how to route water downstream. TVA manages the 40,000-square-mile Tennessee River system through a network of 49 dams (29 of them provide power) and they all empty into the Ohio River. We use those dams to continually balance things like navigation, flood control, power generation, water quality, and recreation.
To do that, we first look at the forecasted rainfall. Then we distribute the rain forecast to understand how much rain will fall on each of our 149 subbasins. It’s almost like the moving storm maps you see on the news, but it’s a map that shows the future rainfall depth across our 40,000 square mile basin.
Then we look at how much water will run off and how long it will take for the runoff to reach the reservoirs. We use hydrology models for this. And then once that water is in the reservoirs, we start asking: How much water should we release from this dam? When should we generate power to best help the grid? What recreational or water supply factors must we account for today? How does the release from this dam factor into the decisions for the next dam?
And we work our way down the river system all the while thinking about those things.
You worked in river management for about 10 years and then transitioned out of it. What have you been working on since?
In 2020, I had the opportunity to come work in TVA’s innovation and research group. I started in an advisor role for our vice president and had the opportunity to influence TVA’s overall innovation strategy. We worked together to communicate with various leaders about water and energy decisions and the trade-offs that come with those decisions.
Since then, I’ve moved into more detailed research and development. I’m working on things like how to build hydropower facilities faster, 3D printing of metal, contracting strategies, advanced manufacturing and modular construction, and integrating artificial intelligence. I just led a team of TVA experts to select our new pumped storage project location.
I also recently had the opportunity to advise on more national problems through leadership at the National Hydropower Association, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and other organizations. TVA is a dedicated national leader on these topics, and we share our learnings broadly to help advance the hydropower industry as a whole.
So rather than being a specialist, I’m now more of a generalist helping other people connect the dots. The expertise I use on any given day isn’t always about hydrology or electricity. It’s more about unlocking the expertise spread around TVA in new ways to enable innovation.
What’s it like being in an innovative, multidisciplinary space?
I really enjoy it because I have varied interests. I get bored easily. So, I’m always moving on to the next interesting problem. That’s probably why I’ve ended up in innovation and research. I want to make things work better, and I really enjoy synthesizing. Analysis is the art of taking something apart and understanding how it works, but synthesis is the art of taking a bunch of pieces and turning them into something that works.
And frankly, the ability to synthesize is sorely needed. We need more young people that can both analyze and synthesize because the world is growing more complex. And if we don’t have people that can connect all the dots, it impacts our ability to make decisions that benefit everybody.