The demand to push electrons through microchips is relentless and it is putting utility planning teams in a historically tough spot. Where utilities have traditionally been able to anticipate predictable growth, they find themselves at the forefront of one of the most daunting periods of change in the history of the electric power industry. The grid is being reshaped by multiple, overlapping forces that produce new kinds of demand and create unanticipated risk:
- The explosive growth of distributed energy resources (DERs)
- The introduction of complex dynamic controls (FLISR, VO, etc.)
- Dynamic large load demands from data centers
- The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)
How can resource constrained utility planning teams make the most of the engineers and tools they currently have while continuing to deliver reliable, resilient, affordable, and flexible energy?
Introducing EPE’s Grid Modeling Automation Software
ENER-i is a grid planning software enhancement that streamlines and turbo-charges scenario modeling to run studies at scale and dramatically reduce planning cycle time. It was designed by EPE’s industry experts to address the unmet needs of traditional grid planning solutions by working alongside a utility’s existing software, rather than replacing it.
Figure 1: Run Thousands of Simulations
ENER-i harnesses the compute power of the cloud to run simultaneous power flow simulations, tackle massive datasets, and leverage new modeling techniques. Not only can planners run a higher volume of studies, ENER-i can automate the data loading process, significantly reducing the time it takes to run them. For utility teams planning to accommodate DERs or large loads from data centers, having a tool that can automate hundreds or thousands of scenarios is essential to risk mitigation.
Traditional grid planning software can’t accommodate the dynamic scenarios utilities now face, forcing grid planning teams to create manual workarounds, which require more engineers to run more scenarios. Some teams have built custom software to automate the manual data loading but running simulations at scale is still a challenge. Typically, upgrading or replacing existing planning software requires a significant investment of time, manpower, and uncertainty that utilities can’t afford.
Figure 2: Automate Complex Data Flows
EPE’s four decades of experience working with power systems planning teams informed every aspect of how ENER-i was built. With ENER-i, utilities can keep their existing planning software, like CYME, Synergi, or WindMil, and fully integrate their model into the solution. With on-demand compute power in the cloud and automated workflows, their planning engineers can make the most productive use of their time. Once live, utilities can run consistent, automated powerflow analysis studies at scale, including:
- Scenario Modeling
- Time Series Load Flow
- Hosting Capacity Analysis (Load + DER)
- Short Circuit Analysis
- DER Control Modeling
Figure 3: Intuitive Dashboards and Layered GIS
With the ability to run more studies in less time, planning teams will have a lot more data to analyze. That’s why ENER-i has intuitive dashboards and a multi-layered GIS user interface, to help engineering teams reach clear, actionable insights.
Figure 4: Leverages ESRI Technology
Customers of ENER-i aren’t just buying a piece of software; they are investing in a long-term strategic partnership. As the industry evolves, new technologies will emerge, and regulations will inevitably change. EPE’s industry-leading power systems experts stand behind ENER-i and maintain it with industry best-practices. Unlike software-only alternatives, EPE’s deep industry services experience ensures customers can be confident in the accuracy of the results and that analysis will stand up to modern demands and regulatory scrutiny.
While ENER-i’s capabilities are supported by EPE’s expert services, the product has been designed and built to be a flexible, stand-alone, modern software platform. To future-proof the solution from the stagnation of legacy planning tools, EPE’s team invested significantly in infrastructure to continuously deploy enhancements and regular updates. A powerful Python API allows for custom automation and data integration to fit custom or emerging technical needs. To ensure data security, the tool includes robust user management controls and DOD-level security.
EPE experts built ENER-i to help utilities run a higher volume of advanced distribution scenario model studies, to help reduce risk in the future-state of their grid. Instead of requiring a costly modeling software replacement project with uncertain results, ENER-i is an extension of a utility’s modeling software, just like EPE’s trusted advisory services are an extension of their team.
