2009 modeled electricity prices from HiGRID for the California grid

This dataset was developed to be used in the CenSierraPywr model, created for the project "Optimizing Hydropower Operations While Sustaining Ecosystem Functions in a Changing Climate", for the California Energy Commission. The model that includes hydroeconomic optimization for hydropower production in the Stanislaus and Upper San Joaquin River basins in the Central Sierra Nevada, California. The two basins have high elevation reservoirs that are typically operated to maximize revenue from hydropower production. Therefore, to better represent real-world operations, the hydroeconomic optimization component incorporates wholesale electricity prices from the day-ahead market. Wholesale hourly electricity prices in the day ahead market drive much of the decision-making process in releasing water from reservoirs for hydropower production. These are hourly energy prices used to develop piecewise linear price curves that are used by the CenSierraPywr routine.