Open Platform for Energy Networks

Chaimaa Essayeh and Thomas Morstyn

24th March 2023

Electric power systems are undergoing a fundamental transition, with a significant proportion of generation and flexibility being provided by distributed energy resources. These Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES) require strategies for localised management including:

  • Active distribution networks;
  • Microgrids;
  • Energy communities;
  • Multi-energy hubs;
  • Peer-to-peer trading platforms;
  • Virtual power plants.

There is a need for an integrated modelling, control and simulation framework for SLES to enable this systems thinking to take place. The Open Platform for Energy Networks (OPEN) tool is an open-source Python platform with an object-oriented structure, which offers:

  • Modularity;
  • Code reuse;
  • Extensibility;
  • Easy integration with third-party packages.

OPEN provides an extensive platform for developing and testing new SLES management applications, helping to bridge the gap between academic research and industry translation. OPEN combines features for managing SLES which are not currently provided together, including:

  • Multi-phase distribution network power flow;
  • Eenergy market modelling;
  • Nonlinear energy storage modelling;
  • Receding horizon optimisation.

OPEN has been co-developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh (EnergyREV) with researchers at the University of Oxford working on the Local Energy Oxfordshire demonstration project.

You can access the OPEN platform here: https://github.com/EPGOxford/OPEN/