Opus One DERMS® Application Integration and Techno-Economic Enhancements

Lead Proponent

Opus One Solutions Energy ULC

Project Background

This project enhanced Opus One DERMS, formerly “GridOS^®”, Opus One Solutions from GE Digital’s breakthrough model-based software design that seeks to optimize the planning, design, and management of the electric grid. The objective of this project was to focus on developing the capabilities of Opus One DERMS in two key areas: Market Simulation and Flexibility Planning. These enhancements assist in the integration of existing Opus One DERMS platform modules and help improve techno-economic modeling which is critical for assessment of end-to-end designs for power system modernization.

For the Opus One DERMS Market Simulation software module, capabilities to be assessed for future development include:

• Flexibility market simulation
• Market clearing optimizations based on least-cost resources
• Sub-transmission analysis
• Interactivity for bid modification in short timeframes
• Dashboard outputs from market simulations
• Spreadsheet outputs from market simulations

Under the Opus One DERMS Flexibility Planning software module, capabilities to be explored for this pilot project were:

• Valuation of potential investment scenarios
• Demand Response (DR) market participation by distributed energy
• Resources (DERs) for load-reducing and load-shifting in both simulation and operations
• Network model ingestion management

Results

The following features were successfully developed for this pilot project: market simulation (allowing distribution system operators to better understand market flow), peer-to-peer/peer-to-network services (providing options for market participants to conduct bids and offers into a pool or with each other), sub transmission (analyze power flow on multiple voltage levels with a more granular analysis of needs), and contingency analysis (upon failure of a feeder). These features are currently being used in the software for future customer offerings as Opus One expands globally. Through this development work, the company’s engineering solution is designed to help increase deployment of clean energy technologies with the additional goal of facilitating electricity rate reductions to customers, through cost-effective solutions for managing supply, demand and delivery.

Benefits to Canada

This project supported training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) and job creation in an innovative and transformative field. The project facilitates the integration of clean energy technologies into the electricity grid and markets that help Canada meet its climate change targets and build a low-emissions energy future efficiently and cost-effectively.

Next Steps

Opus One Solutions was acquired by GE Digital in December 2021. GridOS^® is now called “Opus One DERMS”. Opus One’s renewable energy planning capabilities combined with GE Digital’s network management and optimization portfolio is designed to help utilities make decisions about how to integrate renewables and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) at scale across the electric grid. Opus One DERMS is designed to provide utilities with a more comprehensive solution that can help optimize and operate the increasing number and types of DERs connecting to the grid. Our unique software is engineered to deliver real-time monitoring and optimal dispatch integration of DERs to help ensure the grid is reliable and sustainable.