GridLAB-D™ Projects

This page represents an unofficial list of papers and projects related to or using GridLAB-D™. This is NOT intended to be a comprehensive list, but if you would like have your project added, please email GridLAB-D™.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been working on a multi-year transactive systems program (TSP) funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Previous transactive simulation work has been closely linked to demonstration projects, and often not easily repeatable by others. Building on GridLAB-D™ and other software modules, we have produced a Transactive Energy Simulation Platform (TESP) that addresses a wider variety of use cases and drivers. Equally important, TESP has been designed for easier customization and use by other researchers, so it can support a greater variety of design, test and experimentation work in transactive systems.

GridAPPS-D provides a platform for development of new classes of distribution system planning and operations applications. It has been designed to support modernized distribution systems that include a diverse mix of customer and 3rd party owned 2017 ADMS Program Steering Committee Meeting Project Summary distributed energy resources, an increasing number of “smart” devices and systems, market interactions and distributed control and coordination operations. These modernized systems have a data rich environment requiring distributed systems while still maintaining situational awareness, reliability and resiliency. GridAPPS-D enables cost-effective development and integration of applications meeting these future needs.

HELICS began as the core software development of the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) project on integrated Transmission-Distribution-Communication simulation (TDC, GMLC project 1.4.15) supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Offices of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). As such, its first use cases center on modern electric power system, though it can be used for co-simulation in other domains. HELICS's layered, high-performance, co-simulation framework builds on the collective experience of multiple national labs.

FNCS is the predecessor to HELICS. FNCS, pronounced "phoenix," is a federated co-simulation platform that merges communication (data) simulators with distribution and transmission simulators. In the federated environment, each simulator runs in its own process; FNCS performs the heavy lifting of synchronization and inter-simulator message delivery. This resource makes it possible to model and design more effective smart grid hardware and other tools, ultimately improving grid efficiency and performance. FNCS capabilities have been tested in case studies, including a smart grid application that calculates the cleared price of electricity; the tool successfully co-simulated transmission, distribution and communications network simulators.

Open Modeling Framework (OMF) is a software development effort led by NRECA with a goal of making advanced power systems models usable in the electric cooperative community. Conceptualized by NRECA Chief Scientist Dr. Craig Miller, OMF addresses the lack of versatile modeling tools that would enable utilities to evaluate smart grid components using real-world data prior to purchase. This enhanced modeling tool can support co-op investment decision-making by modeling the cost and benefits and incorporating engineering, weather, financial and other data specific to the co-op.