In the Vorarlberger Nachrichten: an early-warning system for hydropower plants

Our joint hydropower project with illwerke vkw was featured in the Vorarlberger Nachrichten on 27 June 2026, as part of the WISTO series “Forschungskompetenzen nutzen” (putting research competencies to work), which highlights research partnerships open to Vorarlberg companies. The article, “Frühwarnsystem für Wasserkraftwerke” (an early-warning system for hydropower plants), describes how we are giving a power plant a sense of hearing.

The idea, as the piece puts it, is “to let facilities listen to themselves.” Low-cost airborne microphones installed in the plant add an acoustic view on top of the plant’s existing operating data (SCADA: turbine speed, flow rates, pressures). A hydropower hall is an extremely loud environment, so the signals need careful preprocessing and filtering to separate meaningful acoustic cues from background noise; machine learning then learns the healthy signature of each operating mode, so the system can flag and localize unusual events early, before they turn into bigger problems. Having shown reliable detection and localization on a laboratory prototype, we are now testing the approach under real conditions at Rodundwerk II. For more on the setup and method, see our earlier post on the Viennahydro 2026 abstract.

The article also lets the partners explain why this kind of collaboration matters.

We are commissioning the new measurement system and recording different operating states of the machine to clearly identify normal operation. Anomalies on the plant are then simulated, analysed with the system, and validated with additional sensors.Arne Schacht, head of the Rodund power station (illwerke vkw)

Especially for complex problems, technologies often cannot simply be bought on the market, they have to be developed in a targeted way. That is where real synergy arises: when concrete practical knowledge meets scientific expertise.Bernhard Fäßler, head of innovation management (illwerke vkw)

The project is supported by regional funding via ICV-HSG and the partnership with the Land Vorarlberg, and the partners see potential well beyond this site: fewer unplanned outages, lower maintenance costs, and applications in other plants and large industrial installations. That framing is exactly what we value about this work: bringing university research together with Vorarlberg’s energy industry and keeping expertise in the region.

Read the article on WISTO or download the print clipping (PDF). The method will be presented together with illwerke vkw at Viennahydro 2026 (see the publications page and the abstract post); the work was also featured in HSG’s Alma magazine.