Open Power Platforms Online Resource Centre
Welcome to the Online Resource Centre for the Open Power Platforms Project. Everyone is welcome to use the resources below and play a part in developing one or more open technology platforms for distributed energy resources (DERs).
This page is an evolving project, expected to grow and mature as increasing numbers of participants contribute to the design and content.
What can open power platforms do?
The energy system is changing rapidly. There is ample evidence to suggest that Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) including distributed generation, demand response, storage, and smart energy systems of many types will play a greater role as the technology gains new capabilities. As these new resources are created and added to the system, the grid is expected to evolve more organically in the future, much like the internet does today.
As a result, open power platforms are expected to serve as flexible and high functioning hubs for safely integrating a plethora of energy resources into local and regional networks. As micro-grids, local distribution companies and the Internet of Things evolve, it is becoming increasingly important to have reliable local hubs that can be used to optimize energy flows, facilitate information sharing, and maximize the benefits of ongoing innovation. High performance control centres are needed because the electric grid is a fully integrated network requiring instantaneous real-time co-ordination and protection. However, to the extent these control centres can be decentralized themselves, while still meeting the grid’s exacting requirements for safety, security, protection, control and power quality, the vitality inherent in facilitating widespread customer participation can be leveraged to benefit most if not all users. Networks of DERs can create efficiencies that benefit all users of the grid, and innovations that continually improve the system for the benefit of society as a whole.
DERs can introduce physical risks and security risks if they are not properly integrated into the existing system. In many jurisdictions the rapid growth of DERs is creating challenges for LDCs (Local Distribution Companies). The IEEE and others are developing standards for LDCs who anticipate having high penetration levels of DERs. A significant component of the work in developing open power platforms will inevitably include systems to accommodate the increasing needs for managing the physical and cybersecurity impacts of DER penetration.
Big Benefits
Some of the key benefits of developing and disseminating open power platforms include the following:
* Facilitation of economic transactions between participants of all types connected to the grid
* Assisting with physical optimization of local power infrastructure
* Enabling cost savings resulting from convergence on common standards for open technology
* Formalization of user rights for access to grid services, where they aren’t fully developed and formalized already
* Alleviating business obstacles related to absence of standardization, for project developers and others
* Enhancing the basis on which consumers are asked to place their trust in complex multi-party systems
* Reconciliation of grid participation principles with internet participation principles.
Open technology, open access and open source
A good example of open technology is the common electric power plug and receptacle. Everyone uses it, no one has to worry about who owns the design rights to it, and everyone benefits from having a common standard which they can use to connect equipment together and build complex networks. Open source software is similar, and in fact underlies much of what’s on the internet today. Although millions of people have contributed to it and helped build it into what it is today, the actual code underlying major software like the Android Operating System, HTML, PHP websites, and Wikipedia is open and freely available to anyone. No one owns the code, and anyone can contribute to making it better using mass collaboration techniques that have proven to be highly effective. Proprietary software applications can be built for use on open source platforms. In fact, some of the most secure applications available today are proprietary software built on time tested open source platforms.
A 2017 paper by the IEEE Standards Association says, “Next generation infrastructures and vertical industry and consumer deployments are expected to be dependent upon open source, across all market sectors.” It goes on to say that “Open Source provided the potential for expanded integration of previously discrete technology eco-systems (e.g. 5G, IoT, Analytics, Big Data, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Artificial Reality, Vertical platforms: Smart Energy, Smart Cities, Automotive, etc.). Industry feedback indicated open source solutions could provide improved time to market solutions and potentially provide economic benefits to both suppliers and consumers. Research indicated … open source community initiations were expanding, where open source was being considered more frequently as an option to address industry requirements.”
CISCO notes that “Currently there are over 360 proprietary communication protocols used in the electrical system, making it impossible for different systems to communicate with one another. To enable this communication, all of those elements must converge on an open platform ....” (See the URL for CISCO’s smart grid presentation below for more information on this.)
For more information on open source technology, the following resources may be helpful:
“What Is Open Source, and Why Is IEEE Involved?” Q&A with Gary Stuebing, IEEE Corporate Advisory Group Open Source Ad Hoc, Chair
Wikipedia explains open source software in this article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
Open technology uses the same principles as open source software, but applies them more generally. For more information see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_model
An open library of resources for everyone
Please see below for links to discussion papers, organizations, events and various initiatives related to open power platforms. To add more resources, just let us know what they are and where they are. Follow these three easy steps:
1. Post articles online using your preferred system, or capture content online you think is relevant to the open energy platform project
2. Write a one line title describing the resource, and a one line explanation of why it’s interesting
3. Send the information (Title, explanation and URL) to
Discussion papers
Learn more about the field. Click on any of the links below to access discussion papers
“What the power grid can learn from the internet and vice versa,” LinkedIn posting and magazine article, January 8, 2018
Interview with Lawrence Orsini, the CEO of LO3, a key driver of the Brooklyn Microgrid, explaining, among other things, why open source development is part of their strategy, January 17, 2018. He says: “The timing will be around the network release, which will be open source. Once the network is open source, you’ll be able to start building on it. That’s when we expect people to really get engaged – probably in Q3 or Q4 of this year.”
“Imagine the wickedly smart new energy ventures of the future,” LinkedIn, April 2017
Article explaining why the term DERMS (Distributed Energy Resource Management System) may be losing its usefulness: DERMS: A Term Gone Too Far?
“Utilities prepare for future of change” IPPSO FACTO, June 2014
“Growing the open, intelligent edge,”Article on the growth of open source standards for automated buildings.
“An Open Source Electric Grid,” article by Mike Skirzynksi, posted on January 9, 2018.
Leading Ontario privacy expert endorses open source system for consumer data protection:
Privacy controls must be placed back into the hands of the individual
Ann Cavoukian, March 27, 2018
“IEEE working to resolve the practical specifics of Transactive Energy,” an overview of current IEEE work on open source power systems, published April 9, 2018.
“Energy IoT – Get your head in the Cloud – Call to Action,” article 1 by Stuart McCafferty, David Forfia and Eamonn McCormick, April 2019.
White papers on Distributed Energy Resources published by AutoGrid, a team of software architects, electrical and computer engineers, data scientists and energy experts with a suite of “Energy Internet applications” focused on "the science of flexibility management".
Links to related resources
The Energy Web Foundation (EWF) which announced on June 19 2019 that it had launched what it calls the world’s first public, open-source, enterprise-grade blockchain tailored to the energy sector: the Energy Web Chain (EW Chain).
The D3A is a decentralised energy exchange developed by Grid Singularity to enable a decarbonized, decentralised, democratised and digitised energy system. D3A stands for Decentralised Autonomous Area Agent.
IEEE-SA Standards Board
https://standards.ieee.org/about/sasb/
IEEE Open Source activity:
https://mentor.ieee.org/802-ec/dcn/17/ec-17-0172-00-00EC-ieee-sa-update-on-open-source-activity.pdf
Announcement of the NRECA project to develop breakthrough data repositories and open-access models of the electric grid
Article about US Department of Defense request to NRECA to apply a standardized open framework microgrid planning tool
Open Modeling Framework (OMF) project of NRECA
GE Reports related to transactive energy, posted on the GE Canada website, such as this one:
https://gereports.ca/need-understand-four-trends-transforming-energy-industry/#
Cisco video on the Smart Grid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGk13U_kgGM
Open Power System Data, a free and open data platform dedicated to electricity system researchers.
Energy Unlocked
Electric Markets Research Foundation
The Galvin Electricity Initiative to transform the electricity system, led by Robert W. Galvin Retired CEO and Chairman, Motorola, Inc.
ProtoGen's HybridFAST quantifies solar + storage value stack
ProtoGen has made its formerly internal tool available for download and public use under a Creative Commons license (link: http://protogenenergy.com/hybridfast )
The Open Energy Market, a commercial buying platform and more, for commercial energy and utility purchasers, based in the UK.
The Open Power platform developed by ENEL has prepared a resource titled "Open Innovability" which it describes as s the crowdsourcing space for solutions and projects inspired by the Open Power vision.
The Open Power System Data project is a freely available platform for data required by energy system models. It is an outgrowth of what is now what is now the Open Energy Modelling Initiative.
The Global Design Challenge
Anyone with an interest in the future shape of the power system is invited to prepare submissions on how to design the most dependable, efficient and inclusive open access open source distributed energy integration platform. It should be suitable for use by LDCs and micro-grids, and meet all applicable legal and technical requirements.
Click here for more information and watch this space as active players bring forward new plans and proposals in part through the planned Global Design Challenge.
For more information, watch this page, visit the links above and send inquiries to
Open Power Platforms Online Resource Centre
Note: This web page is a prototype. It is a preliminary model for a future resource centre, still under development. All content on this page should be considered to be in draft form.
APPrO, the Association of Power Producers of Ontario
67 Yonge St., Suite 1040, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1J8
tel. 416-322-6549 fax 416-481-5785
website: http://www.appro.org