data exchange
HYDROGRID Insight adapts to your technical setup, not the other way around
We allow our customers to choose the integration path that best fits their technical readiness and asset characteristics by offering two ways to provide live operational data of the power plants (“actuals”) with HYROGRID Insight.
You can start simple, and automate along the way.
Excel upload vs REST API Integration
Live Data Transmission Options: Excel Upload vs. REST API Integration
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Capability
EXCEL UPLOAD
REST API INTEGRATION
How live data is provided
Manual upload of live data via HYDROGRID Insight’s Excel-style dashboard (→ View example dashboard)
Automated data transfer via HYDROGRID Insight’s standardized REST API (→ Developer resources)
Level of automation
Manual
Fully automated
Supported power plant types
Plants with at least short-term flexibility (≥ 1 day of storage)
All plant types: from run-of-river to short-term and seasonal storage
Client IT requirements
None
IT development required to connect the client’s systems to the REST API
IT security
Secure manual upload via SSL and 2-factor authentication
Secure automated transfer via SSL and JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication
Implementation effort
None: dashboard is ready once the plant is set up in HYDROGRID Insight
Typically ~2 weeks (development, testing, and deploy)
Ongoing manual effort
Minimum 2× daily updates; ~3–5 minutes per update (copy & paste)
None. Automatic data transmission at hourly, 30-minute, or 15-minute intervals
Reliability
Human-in-the-loop; potential for missed updates or manual errors
No human interaction; minimized error risk
Best suited for
Fast start with low upfront commitment
Robust and scalable automation after a single integration effort
Tailored to your specific needs
Start simple
Automate when ready
No rework needed
Choosing the right option
The Excel vs. API choice impacts only the data transmission method.
It does not affect the rest of the plant setup process or how your data is displayed, analyzed, or reported in HYDROGRID Insight.
Dashboards, reports, forecasts, and all outputs remain identical.
Excel Upload is recommended when:
Storage flexibility allows for less frequent updates
A fast, low-commitment start is preferred
IT resources are limited or unavailable
RestAPI is recommended when:
Storage flexibility is limited
Fully automated and effortless day-to-day operations are preferred
Maximum reliability and scalability are preferred
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