THE KEY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE AN ADVANCED OPEN-SOURCE OPTIMIZATION TOOL “HYDROFLEX” FOR EXISTING HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY SYSTEMS. THE OBJECTIVE OF HYDROFLEX WILL BE TO ACHIEVE LOWEST TOTAL COST OF ENERGY, INCLUDING THE AMORTIZED COST OF ACQUIRING NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE COSTS, FUEL COSTS, MINUS REVENUE GENERATED FROM PROVIDING ELECTRICITY OR OTHER ENERGY SERVICES TO THE ELECTRICAL GRID.