OpenFIDO: An Open-source Framework for Integrated Data Operations
This project will develop OpenFIDO, an open-source framework capable of converting data between various power system tools used by utilities, researchers, and California regulators, such as CYME and GridLAB-D.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Recipient
Menlo Park, CA
Recipient Location
13th
Senate District
24th
Assembly District
$1,000,000
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
The OpenFIDO software has been released by the SLAC team, and they are collaborating with SCE to install it on their on-premise platform. User manuals and training materials, including instructional videos, have been created and finalized. The project team has also produced an initial draft of the final report. In addition, they are partnering with Linux Foundation Energy to commercialize the software. The project team conducted the last TAC meeting and workshop in April 2023, with the final meeting scheduled for July 2023.
The Issue
Various tools are used in distribution planning. They come from a diverse number of suppliers and do not work within a single user framework to interact and share information. Utility planners and grid researchers need a tool and integration framework to quickly move data from one application to another as part of their engineering, planning, and review activities. Enabling the sharing of information across distribution planning tools will save time and money.
Project Innovation
This project will develop OpenFIDO, an open source tool to transfer data between various programs that are part of the suite of tools used in by utilities, distributed energy resource (DER) engineers and regulators in California. The tool is an integration framework to quickly move data from one application to another as part of their engineering, planning, and review activities.
Project Benefits
Current grid simulation tools do not support the exchange of data to other programs. This is not sufficient when many different tools are used to analyze the many multi-disciplinary problems energy system researchers, analysts and regulators must address. OpenFIDO proposes to use an open multi-standard approach to data exchange called polyglot representation. This approach allows data to be exchanged so that data sets of commercial buildings, retail tariffs, and distribution networks can be reliably exchanged between the various distribution system analysis and simulation tools that are currently used. This enables better analysis of the impacts of DERs in distribution planning.
Affordability
The capabilities of OpenFIDO will help grid simulators more reliably and efficiently exchange system data sets with analysts, regulators, vendors and others who perform grid simulation and analysis. The reduction in labor intensity and staff training by using this framework will improve productivity, to lower overall costs.
Reliability
Determination of the grid impacts of DERs requires multiple iterations of power flow analysis, which utilities perform as part of their interconnection studies. This requires analysis using multiple tools that must exchange data. Greater data exchange will enable deeper analysis of the impacts of DERs and the measures to limit those impacts to maintain and increase reliability.
Key Project Members
David Chassin
Subrecipients
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Gridworks Organization
Presence Product Group, LLC
Match Partners
National Grid
