VOLTTRON Testing Tool Kit
Demonstrating the benefits of the VOLTTRON open-source platform for DER management
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Recipient
Menlo Park, CA
Recipient Location
13th
Senate District
24th
Assembly District
$70,000
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
The project objective was to facilitate adoption and demonstrate the benefits of the VOLTTON platform for DER management systems. The project team set out to increase the VOLTTRON user community and increase its diversity in order to move VOLTTRON closer to reaching a critical mass needed for widespread market adoption. The project team created awareness among the DER industry and utilities through the project and added several new companies that engaged with the VOLTTON. The project team found that the DER industry is further along in their integration effort and switching to VOLTTON could cost them significant effort and time. However, the new capabilities added with this project should help speed up the newcomers' development efforts should they chose to utilize VOLTRTRON. All tools developed contributed back to the VOLTTRON open source repository on GitHub.
The Issue
California's energy goals include high levels of utility-scale renewables and distributed energy resources (DER). These goals can be achieved only if the distribution utility can operate the grid reliably while supporting ever larger amounts of DER. Today's DER management and system integration projects are either not integrated with each other or are costly to implement, as it requires highly skilled labor to connect specialized equipment and program software to optimize system operation. As buildings and operations change, specialized software must be adjusted, tested, recalibrated for optimal use and performance.
Project Innovation
This federal cost share project demonstrates the benefits of the VOLTTRON platform for DER management through the testing of the VOLTTRON Testing Tool Kit. VOLTTRON is a US Department of Energy funded open source platform intended to provide a software base for integrating management of energy demand in buildings, distributed energy resources, and the electrical grid. The tool kit includes simulation test suites, a platform monitoring and debugging tool, and more extensive database support to promote wider adoption of VOLTTRON platform beyond its original set of developers. By lowering implementation costs and adding easy adoption features, the tool kit encourages adoption by other users, including organizations and private entities seeking to develop DER integration projects.
Project Benefits
Communication of DERs with grid operators is critical for successful utilization of distributed energy resources. DOE developed the VOLTTRON platform to facilitate such communication. However, the platform is in its early stages and requires additional support and an expanded user base to become widely adopted. The VOLTTRON Testing Tool Kit provides new tools to confidently run a high qualify open source project. All knowledge gained and software written will be pushed to GitHub for open source use. With the testing tool kit, VOLTTRON becomes a more effective platform for DER management. This will enable higher utilization of DERs in support of the state's renewable energy and GHG reduction goals.
Affordability
By lowering implementation costs and adding easy adoption features, the tool kit encourages adoption by other users, including organizations and private entities seeking to develop DER integration projects. The new capabilities added through this grant should speed up any development efforts since all tools developed are open source and available through the GitHub.
Key Project Members
Sila Kiliccote
Subrecipients
Kisensum
