Designing power system simulators for the smart grid: Combining controls, communications, and electro-mechanical dynamics

Open source software has a leading role in research on simulation technology for electrical power systems. Research simulators demonstrate new features for which there is nascent but growing demand not yet provided for by commercial simulators. Of particular interest is the inclusion of models of software-intensive and communication-intensive controls in simulations of power system transients. This paper describes two features of the ORNL power system simulator that help it meet this need. First is its use of discrete event simulation for all aspects of the model: control, communication, and electro-mechanical dynamics. Second is an interoperability interface that enables the ORNL power system simulator to be integrated with existing, discrete event simulators of digital communication systems. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of how these aspects of the ORNL power system simulator might be inserted into production-grade simulation tools.