How GridOS® Can Help You Optimize Costs while Transitioning to a Sustainable Energy Grid

Every grid is facing a steep increase in the amount of renewable energy sources supplying them. In fact, by 2026, global renewable electricity capacity is forecast to rise more than 60% from 2020 levels . In 2022 alone, the amount of renewable power capacity rose by a quarter. And by early 2025, renewables are set to account for over 90% of global electricity expansion.

One of the most significant challenges brought by increasing renewables penetration is added costs. As the number of renewables penetrating the grid increases, so does the amount of added costs utilities are exposed to – some routine, some not.

For example, there’s the costs of managing grid inertia, which rise with increasing penetration levels and can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. There is also  the potential for more frequent and severe grid violations resulting from improper intermittent energy patterns, skyrocketing customer demand, and higher peak loads over short time periods. And virtually all utilities are wondering if their grids can accommodate the explosive growth of electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming years – a very valid concern, as not only is the number of plug-in vehicles requiring electricity expected to triple by 2025, but the number of EV charging connectors will need to increase nearly eightfold by 2030.

Luckily, grid orchestration software can help. GridOS is the  first software portfolio designed specifically for grid orchestration. It can help solve system-wide, renewables and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) -related challenges across generation, power grid transmission, distribution, and the edge – including costs and expenditure optimization.

Here are a few examples of GridOS in action that can help optimize costs:

The traditional hardware-based approach to estimating and increasing line ratings is far from an exact science – and hardly economical. A great alternative can be found in the GridOS Advanced Energy Management System (AEMS)’s digital dynamic line rating (DDLR) solution, which is a scalable, field sensor-free, digital-twin approach to estimating and increasing line rating​. With DDLR, real-time temperature and wind speed data from weather data providers are fed into algorithms that can dynamically adjust the line rating based on actual line conditions at any given time. DDLR technology can help increase transmission line capacity, reducing the need for new infrastructure and improving grid efficiency. This capacity increase can also help prevent costly curtailments of large-scale renewables.

Renewable generators are poor sources of inertia. Because of this, grids with high renewables penetration often experience challenges due to low inertia. The costs of restoring inertia to a safe level can add up fast.

AEMS constantly monitors inertia in real time, offering a crystal-clear picture of what’s available now and in the near future. Whenever inertia appears to be in danger of running low, AEMS kicks in. It informs operators of the total amount of inertia needed to bring the grid back to a secure point, on a regional basis. This precise calculation helps users avoid the significant costs of excess inertia.

AEMS customers who leverage this approach to inertia management have saved hundreds of millions of dollars while at the same time maximizing system resilience. In fact, it is possible for large grids with high renewables penetration to save up to 40% on their inertia management costs by leveraging AEMS*.

While essential to the energy transition, DERs introduce the associated challenges of intermittency, unpredictability, and concentration, which can unfortunately lead to potential violations within the distribution grid. Examples of violations include voltage quality, balancing issues, back-feeds, and more, which can negatively affect the customer experience and KPIs such as SAIFI and SAIDI.

GridOS Distribution Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) is designed to proactively anticipate violations by leveraging DER monitoring and forecasting. Forecasting allows utilities to automatically anticipate violations caused by DERs to keep the grid safe, especially those connected to weather events. It provides a consistent view of forecasts across T&D to not only anticipate the challenges at the Distribution level but also at the Transmission system level. 

This proactive approach enables the utilities industry to take preventative measures and minimize the impact of violations before they occur. It also provides effective management of violations by enabling control of DER assets through standardized communications protocols, such as IEEE 2030.5 and OpenADR.

The explosive growth of EVs (expected to hit 200 million on the road by 2030) has many utilities wondering if they need to upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate the associated increases in energy demand. GridOS DERMS can help provide that answer. It offers essential tools that help effectively simulate the impact of EV growth on the grid. By accurately determining the hosting capacity of the grid and performing advanced scenario analysis, GridOS DERMS enables utilities to understand the impact of EVs on grid infrastructure. Once this analysis is done, it’s much easier to determine whether capital expenditures are needed to help accommodate the growth of EVs – potentially saving millions of dollars.

As renewables penetration increases for grids worldwide, it becomes essential to deploy technology that can help provide a smart and granular orchestration of generation and load. GridOS provides orchestration capability while also helping optimize capital expenditures and reduce operating expenses.

*Data based on a single demonstration project - NG ESO in UK. Results may vary based on utility's generation mix.