OptGrid: Optimizing Distributed Energy Resources for Stability, Resilience, and Efficiency (Text Version)

NREL’s OptGrid software is paving the path toward a more efficient, stable, and resilient grid. OptGrid enables real-time management of millions of grid-edge devices using a distributed approach to control and coordination, rather than a traditional centralized approach.

The animation shows how OptGrid can support recovery following an outage.

Text on Screen:

OptGrid: An Operating System for the New Grid

OptGrid coordinates distributed energy resources in real-time, optimizing their efficiency and stability.

Its algorithms are scale-free, so that optimizing a single device is the same as optimizing a group of devices.

The distributed control creates a grid of microgrids, which self-optimize and support system-wide optimization.

During an Outage, OptGrid automatically stabilizes systems by isolating sections and restoring power with distributed generation and storage.

This microgrid-like adaptation of OptGrid allows communities to stay safely connected and use local resources for large-scale resilience.