September 1, 2022

Newsletter for the GRID DATA Repository and BetterGrids Foundation, Inc.

Please read the highlights on this page. For a full review of everything happening within the GRID DATA Repository and the BetterGrids Foundation, please download our newsletter below.

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Summer 2022 Highlights!

A New 9500 Node Test System

BetterGrids would like to highlight the new 9500 Node Test System that was created as part of a DOE project and in conjunction with the IEEE Power and Energy Society Test Feeders Working Group (https://cmte.ieee.org/pes-testfeeders/).

The model is an extension of the widely used IEEE 8500 Node Test Feeder. It is a full-size model representative of a single utility distribution circuit with multiple feeders. It was developed specifically to support distribution system simulation with realistic operational scenarios. It includes many elements highly desired by the research community including behind the meter rooftop PV and utility scale Distributed Energy Resources (DERs). Also of significance is that the model is being published in Common Information Model (CIM) format intended to help support widespread adoption by utilities, vendors, universities and research institutions.

Currently the model is open for review and comment at https://cmte.ieee.org/pes-testfeeders/temporary/ .

Once officially published, the model will be published through the IEEE PES test feeders working group and also included in the BetterGrids repository. More information including the paper that describes the model in more detail can be found on the review page noted above.

SGDX Update!

The DOE Secure Grid Data Exchange (SGDX) project is complete and closed.

Software from the project is now available as open source on DOE CODE.

Accomplishments Included:

  • Collaborated with CAISO, MCEC, MISO, NV Energy, Xcel Energy, and ZGlobal, to successfully demonstrate the application of GRIDEON® to several use cases related to grid resiliency and sustainability.
  • Created a white paper on a proposed encryption standard for the utility industry: OpenCIP. Special thanks to our contributors: Ken Anderson, ACKS Advisory services; Michael Brown, NV Energy; Peter Klauer, CAISO; Ruchi Rajasekhar, MISO; Tom Williams, WECC; Zac Canders, DataCapable; and Ziad Dassouki, ATCO; and GridBright Team members: Ali Vojdani, Travis Rouillard, and Terry Nielsen.
  • Created a set of opensource NDA’s for the exchange of grid data. These NDAs are posted on BetterGrids.org.

New Models

Various new models have been submitted including Multiple US GIS Datasets, Multiple Synthetic Data Models, GO Competitions Models and Datasets from Arpa-E Perform.

New Feature: Volunteer Spotlight: Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier

The BetterGrids Foundation would like to spotlight the innovations and support of the BetterGrids Foundation going forth in each newsletter.  These areas could include: Volunteer, User and Partner Spotlights.  We look forward to sharing these unique contributions with the BetterGrids Community. Let us know if you are interested in being featured. Thank you for your interest and contributions to BetterGrids!

Alexandra “Sascha” von Meier very recently retired from her position as adjunct professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at UC Berkeley, director of electric grid research at the California Institute for Energy and Environment, and faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her research has focused on applying novel sensing, analytics and control strategies to facilitate the integration of distributed energy resources in the electric grid. Sascha looks forward to finally finishing the second, expanded edition of her popular textbook, Electric Power Systems: A Conceptual Introduction, and being an independent consultant.  

Sascha has been a volunteer for BetterGrids since the beginning. She has used BetterGrids Models in her research and has also contributed data to the repository upon completion. Most recently, she was a presenter in the BetterGrids Repository Webinar that was held in March. Thanks for your volunteerism, Sascha!

2022 Performance Goals

The Board of Directors met on April 28th, 2022 and approved the following performance goals for 2022:

  1.  Create a BetterGrids Webinar Series and Deliver 6 Educational Webinars
  2. Increase Community Engagement in BetterGrids Forum to 25 Registered Users
  3. Conduct a formal Fundraising Campaign
  4. Perform 6 new Outreach Events
  5. Increase the number of BetterGrids Partners to 6

You can see a full update on how we are doing achieving these goals by downloading the newsletter.

Webinars!

As of September 8th, 2022, we will be halfway through our goal of delivering 6 educational webinars.  Recordings of our first two webinars, Renewable Dispatch – In the Cloud and 647 Researchers, 45 Countries, One BetterGrids, are available on the BetterGrids site.  Our next webinar, Utility Emergency Management – In the Cloud, will take place on September 8th, 2022.  Register for it online at Bettergrids.org, or the recording should be up on our website in the future.

Please reach out to us on the Forum! We’d love to discuss the topics in this Summer Newsletter.

Stay Current

Stay up to date on the Repository progress and BetterGrids by following us at LinkedIn, Twitter, or our mailing list.

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