Summer 2023 BetterGrids Newsletter

2023 Highlights

Our 6th year is off to a great start!  Hosting a total of 3 webinars as of September 7th, receiving $6,000 in donations, and more new models including Solar Models.  Here’s a bit of a summary; however, download the whole newsletter above!

Resiliency, Grid Models, and More . . .

The organizational name BetterGrids has Grid in its name, but does that mean it is exclusively about grid models? Not at all.
Initially, that was the case, but we have been actively adding new data sets that include time series data to support research activities that need grid and associated time sequence data. We are currently adding and looking to add data sets that include load and associated renewable generation production time series data.

Last year, BetterGrids had a webinar about software that helps support societal resiliency, with support for specific utility scenarios such as hurricane and wildfire response and the electrical grid being critical elements of that software. Resiliency is a complicated subject; even the simple measurement of resiliency is difficult. Researching resiliency will not only need to study how the current grid behaves and supports different resiliency scenarios, but we are also making significant changes to the grid by introducing renewable resources, energy storage, microgrids, and new monitoring and control technologies.

BetterGrids was created to help bridge the gap between academia and the industry. Historically, grid researchers used the same small grid models repeatedly in their studies. Numerous new and improved grid optimization algorithms were developed in academic circles that were potentially promising but only tested and validated on a few commonly used, relatively simple and outdated grid models. We believe that to do meaningful research on resiliency, it is also essential to use relatively large and realistic grid models. Many of the large realistic models in the BetterGrids Repository initially added to support grid optimization algorithm development will also benefit new research topics related to reliability and resiliency.

Furthermore, it is also necessary to understand what could happen to societal and grid resiliency as our grid evolves with the changes to the resources, loads, storage, and associated technologies. This is one of the main reasons we felt it was necessary to expand the repository’s scope to include more time series data related to grid models.

2023 Fundraising

BetterGrids is a public charity (501 (c) (3)) dedicated to grid education and research. Our vision is for grid researchers to have the essential test data they need to develop better grid solutions. Our mission is to operate the Grid Data Repository in a self-funding manner to support education and research in developing better solutions for grid resiliency, control, and optimization.

BetterGrids is an organization composed of volunteers. It operates entirely through the efforts and contributions of individuals and organizations. Over 70 organizations, including ARPA-E, have contributed to the creation of the Grid Data Repository, which provides free access to over 500 grid models to researchers worldwide.

Each year our goal is to raise funds to keep BetterGrids a self-funded non-profit. Any donations that are given in 2023 will go towards paying the hosting costs for the BetterGrids Website and Repository, and paying for the curation of models. We could use YOUR help to continue to fund BetterGrids.

Right now, we are thankful to have received $1,000 from DataCapable and $5,000 from the Vojdani Trust. However, we need more to refresh the repository modules and open-source components to be more current – all while keeping BetterGrids self-funding.

Thanks for considering the BetterGrids Foundation in your 2023 donation plan. If at any time you would to donate, please reach out to ali.vojdani@bettergrids.org and he will assist with this process.

Volunteer Spotlight

Peter Klauer is a Senior Advisor, Smart Grid Technology, at the California Independent System Operator Corporation in Folsom California. Peter is responsible for facilitating research, development, and integration of emerging and promising smart grid technologies into the ISO’s wholesale energy markets and operational systems. Peter also supports state energy policy development in emerging renewable and smart grid technology areas within the California Public Utilities Commission’s Energy Division and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Peter Klauer has been a volunteer for BetterGrids since 2020. He has always been an active member of the BetterGrids Technical Committee and willing to support new research proposals and share ideas with the Committee. He was a panelist for the Renewable Dispatch – In the Cloud Webinar, and provided his expertise for the “OpenCIP” whitepaper as he was a member of the SGDX Working Group. Thank you, Peter, for your continued enthusiasm, participation and support for the BetterGrids Foundation initiatives.

 2023 Strategic Goals

Create a BetterGrids Webinar Series and deliver quarterly (4) educational webinars – As of September 7, 3 have been completed.

Conduct a formal Fundraising Campaign – Have received a total of $6,000 with funds from DataCapable and Vojdani Trust

Perform 6 new outreach events – have achieved 4 including webinars, DistribuTech and IEEE PES GM

Increase the number of BetterGrids Partners to 8 – presently 5 including DataCapable, GridBright, Hoveida Family Foundation, Opus One/GE and the Vojdani Trust.

Industry Outreach – Webinars

Eye of the Storm: Outage Data in a Superstorm

Locked in Gridlock

GET(S) more! Accelerating the Energy Transition

Email us your thoughts at info@bettergrids.org.

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