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Hydropower facilities are built for the long term. Many plants operating today have delivered reliable, renewable energy for decades, supported by generations of operators, technicians, and engineers who understand the unique nuances of their facilities. But as experienced personnel retire and workforce demographics shift, utilities face the growing challenge of preserving invaluable institutional knowledge and making it accessible to the next generation of plant personnel.

This challenge is not unique to hydropower, but it is particularly significant in an industry where equipment lifecycles can span decades and operational practices are often shaped by years of real-world experience. This leaves many plant owners struggling with how to effectively transfer knowledge in an increasingly complex operating environment.

When Knowledge Walks Out the Door

Every hydropower facility has stories that never make it into manuals. Operators know the subtle signs that indicate a unit is behaving differently than normal during startup, and understand which alarms require immediate attention and which conditions have historically proven benign. This expertise is accumulated through years of experience and often becomes one of a facility’s most valuable assets.

However, as retirements accelerate across the utility sector, organizations risk losing insights that are difficult, if not impossible, to recreate through documentation alone. At the same time, newer employees are being asked to take on increasingly complex responsibilities while learning the intricacies of aging infrastructure and modern digital systems.

The result is a growing need for tools that can help capture, organize, and share operational knowledge throughout the workforce.

From Documentation to Decision Support

Traditionally, operators seeking answers have relied on manuals, procedures, engineering drawings, or the expertise of a seasoned colleague. While these resources remain essential, they are not always the fastest way to access critical information. This can result in extended hours or days spent troubleshooting to resolve issues or identify root causes.

Recent advances in industrial artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities to bridge this gap.

Unlike consumer-focused AI applications, industrial AI is designed to operate within environments where reliability, cybersecurity, and operational context are paramount. Rather than replacing human judgment, these systems are intended to help personnel locate information more quickly, navigate complex troubleshooting processes, and make better-informed decisions. The goal is to enable people to apply the right knowledge at the right time.

Bringing AI Into the Control Environment

One example of this approach is Emerson’s Ovation™ Virtual Advisor, an AI-enabled intelligent advisor integrated into the Ovation Automation Platform 4.0. The technology provides real-time guidance, proactive troubleshooting, and knowledge-driven decision support for power generation and water/wastewater operations. Rather than functioning as a standalone AI application, its AI models run on dedicated, Emerson-provided infrastructure to ensure operational data is on-premise. It operates within the context of the automation environment itself, allowing it to provide guidance based on actual system conditions and operational information.

The Virtual Advisor is designed with a human-in the loop approach[JS1.1], giving operators on-demand access to Ovation expertise while supporting informed decision-making. It can support troubleshooting workflows and provide contextual recommendations that help personnel move more efficiently from problem identification to resolution. By combining established system knowledge with live operational information, it can move beyond simple document retrieval and provide guidance that reflects actual plant conditions and active system events.

Perhaps most importantly, these capabilities are designed to support human decision-making rather than replace it. Operators remain in control, while AI serves as an additional resource for accessing knowledge and evaluating options.

Supporting Lean Operations

Many hydropower facilities operate with relatively small staffs. Personnel often wear multiple hats, balancing operations, maintenance, compliance, and asset management responsibilities. In these environments, access to expertise can be especially important.

A digital advisor can help reduce dependence on a small number of subject matter experts by making information available across shifts and among different personnel. New operators can gain confidence more quickly. Experienced staff can spend less time answering routine questions and more time focusing on higher-value activities. Teams can work from a more consistent knowledge base, reducing variability in how issues are addressed.

For organizations facing staffing constraints, this type of support can help employees become more effective without requiring significant changes to existing operational structures.

Preserving Knowledge for the Future

The value of a digital advisor extends beyond day-to-day troubleshooting. Modern AI platforms can incorporate plant-specific information and documentation, creating a knowledge resource that evolves alongside the facility. Over time, this helps transform institutional knowledge from something that resides with individuals into an organizational asset that can be shared, retained, and continuously improved.

Beyond serving as an on-demand source of expertise, digital advisors can help organizations build what Emerson refers to as “operational memory.” Historically, lessons learned from troubleshooting efforts, equipment issues, shift turnovers, emails, and employee conversations have often remained fragmented across systems or been lost when personnel move on.

By capturing operational insights and making them available for future investigations, organizations can preserve valuable experience and provide context for similar situations that arise in the future. For hydropower operators managing assets expected to run for decades to come, retaining this knowledge may be just as important as preserving the equipment itself.

Building Trust in Industrial AI

While interest in AI continues to grow, utility operators understandably remain focused on reliability and security.

Industrial environments require a different approach than consumer applications. Emerson’s Ovation Virtual Advisor is designed to use locally deployed AI models running on dedicated infrastructure, helping keep operational data within the customer’s secure network rather than relying on public cloud services. The system’s recommendations are grounded in operational context and trusted system knowledge, while maintaining human oversight of all decisions.

Preparing the Next Generation of Hydropower Operations

Hydropower’s future will continue to depend on the expertise of skilled operators, technicians, and engineers. But as the industry navigates workforce transitions and ongoing modernization efforts, new tools are emerging to help ensure that valuable knowledge is not lost in the process.
Digital advisors represent one approach to meeting this challenge. By making expertise easier to access, supporting troubleshooting and decision-making, and helping preserve institutional knowledge, these technologies can strengthen the connection between generations of workers and the facilities they operate.

To learn more about how the Ovation Virtual Advisor helps power producers improve knowledge retention, accelerate troubleshooting and enhance operational confidence, visit Emerson’s Ovation Virtual Advisor page.

How a Virtual Advisor Supports Knowledge Transfer:

 Makes expert knowledge available across shifts and locations.
 Reduces reliance on a small number of veteran employees.
 Helps newer operators become productive more quickly.
 Standardizes troubleshooting and operating practices.
 Captures knowledge before retirements or personnel changes occur.
 Provides experienced staff with a way to share expertise at scale.