Grid Renewables Integration Decision Support System (GRIDS2)
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PROBLEM The utility collects a mountain of data that is not immediately useful or accessible to operators.
PROJECT Referentia Systems, Inc. will develop a secure data system to enable electric utilities on Maui and Oahu to visualize what is happening on the grid in real time – and help successfully integrate more solar, wind, smart grid technologies, and other clean energy assets.
AWARD $900,000 (HREDV 50%, private 50%)
LOCATION Maui and Oahu
PARTNERS
- Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO)
- Maui Electric Company (MECO)
SUMMARY
Referentia Systems, Inc. will develop a secure data system to enable electric utilities on Maui and Oahu to visualize what is happening on the grid in real time – and help successfully integrate more solar, wind, smart grid technologies, and other clean energy assets. Referentia will demonstrate its Time-series Rapid Exploration System (T-REX) and measure the benefits for electrical utility operations and planning.
Founded in 1996, Referentia has grown from its origins in Hawaii to offices in the continental U.S., providing cybersecurity, adaptive cyber solutions, and information and technology services for government and commercial customers.
Renewable power generation is a vital part of the nation’s energy future, but utilities have found it difficult to integrate distributed renewables on a large scale. Utilities do not currently have access to the data necessary to understand the impacts of existing and proposed renewables on the grid. Commercially available tools don’t provide the required rapid correlation of detailed historical and current data from operational (SCADA/EMS) and corporate sources. This has led to the imposition of caps on renewable energy installations in Hawaii and other states. Grid Renewables Integration Decision Support System (GRIDS2) is a critical enabler needed for real-time data analysis, and will directly increase the penetration of renewable power generation within Hawaii. GRIDS2 will demonstrate the capabilities of T-REX, which is already deployed at MECO and will be deployed at HECO, and measure the resulting benefits to electrical utility operations and planning. This project will allow HECO and MECO to improve their renewable energy management and planning, in order to help to refine renewable energy integration parameters and support the adoption of solar, wind, and other clean energy resources. The demonstration will also provide validation and case studies for expansion to the broader mainland utilities and related markets.
Four main use cases will be demonstrated:
- Generation and Demand Side Management (DSM) Planning;
- Prioritization of Circuit Penetration and Upgrades;
- Data Driven Root Cause Analysis of System Events (Faults and Outages); and
- Photovoltaic (PV) Situational Awareness and Short Term Generation Dispatch Decision Support.
Within the use cases we will be demonstrating the following capabilities:
- Collecting SCADA and grid sensor data at full resolution but with 20x greater compression than raw storage (and rapid retrieval of time-series data);
- Streaming data securely from SCADA/EMS to corporate systems;
- Supporting SCADA/corporate data sharing, integration and management; and
- Providing a renewables analysis user interface.
These use cases and capabilities have been chosen because they highlight and fill existing gaps not covered by commercially-available systems. This project supports Hawaii’s clean energy goals by adding grid intelligence to integrate, manage, and control new power generation while improving electric grid cybersecurity and reducing data storage needs.