Gooooooal for Grid Operators!
Simulator Tool Supports Operations Across the World (and the World Cup)
When Operador Nacional do Sistema Elétrico (ONS) was preparing Brazilian grid operators for potential disruptions during the 2014 World Cup, it relied on an EPRI simulator tool used globally by reliability coordinators, transmission operators, and balancing authorities to replicate the grid’s performance and response to various operating conditions and incidents.
A grid operator’s workday can be complicated, even without the added pressure of scattered sports venues and the arrival of tourists by the hundreds of thousands. Events such as load increases, downed power lines, and plant outages require operators to respond quickly and adeptly to maintain system reliability. EPRI developed Operator Training Simulator in the 1980s and has updated it more than a dozen times to provide operators-in-training with realistic grid scenarios to hone their skills. A company called IncSys commercialized the simulator and today provides user support to 140 utilities and operators on five continents.
