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  1. Research
  2. Sustainable Energy
  3. Electric Grid Modernization
  4. Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
  5. Energy System Modeling

Energy System Modeling
Tools and Capabilities

Helping building owners
and energy suppliers achieve
an energy future that is
clean, reliable, and equitable.

  • Emergency Response
  • Grid Analytics
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  • Grid Energy Storage
  • Grid Resilience and Decarbonization
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Related Researchers

Photo of Karma

Karma Sawyer

Director, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division

Modeling experts at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) offer an assortment of grid modeling and simulation tools and capabilities to meet the demands of a rapidly changing energy industry. These offerings help large building owners and energy suppliers confront such forces as global warming, potential power system disruptions, changing customer and societal expectations, and a rapid technological evolution.

Clean Energy icon

Clean Energy Integration

Realistic, long-term planning

For Grid Operators

C-PAGE

Automatically create massive reliable and economic planning models. 

Energy storage optimization

For Grid Operators

ESET

Model, optimize, and evaluate various energy storage systems. 

( Learn more )

Impact quantification 

For Building Owners & Grid Operators

GridPIQ

Evaluate impacts of grid projects (photovoltaics, electric vehicles, storage, flexible loads).

( Learn more )

Co-simulation tool/national grid modeling

For grid operators

HELICS/NAERM

Simulate interdependencies among multiple domains for integrated studies; perform enhanced resilience study for national-scale power grids.

( Learn more about HELICS )

Electricity market optimization

For Grid Operators

HIPPO

Computational framework for improving power market operations.

( Learn more )
Decarb_3

Decarbonization Roadmapping and Impact Analysis

Impact quantification 

For Building Owners & Grid Operators

GridPIQ

Evaluate impacts of grid projects (photovoltaics, electric vehicles, storage, flexible loads). 

( Learn more )

Energy models 

For Building Owners & grid operators

UrbanBEM, Prototypical Commercial & Residential Building Models

Prototypical energy models to simulate loads for analysis.

( Learn more )
Energy Efficiency icon

Energy Efficiency

Commercial energy efficiency score 

For Building Owners

Asset Score

Evaluates the ‘as-built’ energy efficiency of a commercial building. 

( Learn more )

Energy efficiency opportunities

For Building Owners

FEDS

Identify energy efficiency improvements that maximize life-cycle savings. 

( Learn more )

Residential energy efficiency score

For Building Owners

Home Energy Score

Evaluates the ‘as-built’ energy efficiency of a residential home.

( Learn more )

Energy code compliance

For Building Owners

ResCheck

Determines if a new residential building meets energy codes.

( Learn more )

HVAC efficiency

For Building Owners

TSPR

Compares the heating and cooling load of a building to the energy consumed by the building’s entire HVAC system. 

( Learn more )

Energy models

For Building Owners & grid operators

UrbanBEM, Prototypical Commercial & Residential Building Models 

Prototypical energy models to simulate loads for analysis.

( Learn more )
Equity_2

Energy Equity, Environmental Justice

Commercial energy efficiency score

For Building Owners

Asset Score

Evaluates the ‘as-built’ energy efficiency of a commercial building.

( Learn more )

Distribution system resilience

For grid operators

EGRASS

Identify optimal backup power sources for recovery of critical end-use loads. 

( Learn more )

Indoor air quality

For BUILDING OWNERS

H-BEST

Evaluates building indoor environmental quality and cost/benefits of improvements.

( Learn more )

Energy efficiency score

For Building Owners

Home Energy Score

Evaluates the ‘as-built’ energy efficiency of a residential home.

( Learn more )
Forecasting_2

Forecasting and System Planning

Realistic, long-term planning

For GRID OPERATORS

C-PAGE

Automatically create massive reliable and economic planning models.

Integrated grid co-simulation

For BUILDING OWNERS & grid operators

DSO+T

Co-simulation of electrical grid, from generation to distributed energy resources and individual building loads.

Integrated assessment model

For GRID OPERATORS

GCAM

Allows medium-, long-term strategic planning; consideration of climate impacts due to changing temperature and water availability.

( Learn more )

Reliable forecasting

For grid operators

Smart Sampling

Comprehensive sampling and scenario generation for representing high-dimensional power systems.

Energy models

For Building Owners & grid operators

Urban BEM, Prototypical Commercial & Residential Building Models 

Prototypical energy models to simulate loads for analysis.

( Learn more )

Transactive energy control

FOR BUILDING OWNERS & GRID OPERATORS

VOLTTRON

Flexible and extensible platform for distributed controls.

( Learn more )
GridReliability

Grid Reliability and Resilience

Extreme event analysis

For grid operators

DCAT

Evaluate consequences of extreme events and suggested corrective actions, considering realistic protection modeling.

( DCAT )

Distribution system resilience

For grid operators

EGRASS

Identify optimal backup power sources for recovery of critical end-use loads.

( Learn more )

Energy storage optimization

For grid operators

ESET

Model, optimize, and evaluate various energy storage systems. 

( Learn more )

Grid-specific, high-performance computing library 

For grid operators

GridPACK

Faster computational speed for better decision support.

( More info )

Impact quantification 

For Building Owners & Grid Operators

GridPIQ

Evaluate impacts of grid projects (photovoltaics, electric vehicles, storage, flexible loads).

( Learn more )

Co-simulation tool/national grid modeling

For grid operators

HELICS/NAERM

Simulate interdependencies among multiple domains for integrated studies; perform enhanced resilience study for national-scale power grids.

( Learn more about HELICS )

Preventive measures for real-world reliability

for grid operators

TRAST

Artificial intelligence-enabled remediation action scheme (RAS) tool for preventing widespread power grid disruptions.

( Learn more )

Ready to Partner with PNNL?

PNNL’s building and grid modeling team is composed of research-driven, multidisciplinary experts with practical experience who can offer long-term support and knowledge. Modeling solutions are customized to partners’ needs and built upon both technical and policy expertise. The team is well versed in energy industry trends and impacts.

PNNL leverages Department of Energy project funding to partner with entities and deliver its modeling capabilities. There are also opportunities inherent to joining with PNNL to apply for and receive other types of funding for new grid modeling projects. The laboratory also participates in field trials and pilots and can also receive direct funding from project partners.

White Paper

Modeling Tomorrow’s Power Grid to Enable Decarbonization and Resilience

Contact

Karma Sawyer
Director, Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division
karma.sawyer@pnnl.gov

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