Ecological operation of cascade hydropower stations is one of the most important methods for the ecological restoration of a river system. In order to balance the benefits between power generation and ecology of Qingjiang cascade hydropower station, an optimal equilibrium operation method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the range of ecological flow of the Qingjiang cascade is calculated by using ten-day frequency calculation method. Secondly, an optimal equilibrium operation model by

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... ring the balance between power generation and ecology is established. And then, in order to solve this complex model, a particle swarm optimization based model solution method is proposed, and the evaluation index system of operation schemes is established. Finally, through operation calculation in 2008-2010 years, the results show that compared with the operation scheme considering only power generation benefit, the optimal equilibrium operation scheme increases the runoff ecological dispersion coefficient by 6.90%,reduces the cascade ecological overflow by 7.739 billion m 3 and the cascade ecological water shortage by 130 million m 3 , while the cascade power generation decreases slightly by 1.83%. This study provides an effective scientific method for the optimal operation of Qingjiang cascade under the background of Yangtze River protection. , 0 (2018) MATEC Web of Conferences