Grid management software: ADMS
Historically the electricity grid has been a top-down, centralised system. Large scale power plants generate power from a few locations that is transmitted and distributed to end users. Due to renewables, distributed energy resources (DERs) and bidirectional power flows, the grid is becoming decentralised. Locations with rooftop solar, battery storage and EVs can all consume and produce electricity. This is putting greater and greater strain on the grid. Electrical frequency can become imbalanced if too much or too little power is being generated resulting in blackouts. Bidirectional power flows can cause voltage and backfeed issues. Many additional sources of electricity strains network capacity.
In 2023 440 GW of additional renewables capacity was added worldwide1. This is more than the combined power capacity of Germany and Spain. The US DER market will double between 2022 and 20272. Consumer electricity demand will grow nearly 4x mainly due to EV charging3. The US energy storage market will install almost 66 GW of capacity between 2023 and 20274.
The software systems that grid operators and utilities have relied on are no longer sufficient for meeting these new challenges. The US Department of Energy (DoE) estimates that deploying new grid technologies could support an additional 20-100 GW of incremental peak demand5. This is up to 13% of current US peak demand. The DoE also reckons these technologies could “defer an estimated $5-35B in transmission and distribution infrastructure costs over the next five years”.
Software will play an important part in achieving this additional capacity and cost savings. In particular grid management software including Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS), Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS) and grid orchestration tech are vital in this transition.
My next series of posts will explore these technologies beginning with ADMS. In researching this space you very quickly realise this industry loves their alphabet soup6. Many of these concepts overlap with one another and it can be hard to disentangle the differences between DERMS, Virtual Power Plants, Demand Response Management Systems, SCADA etc. I am sympathetic to the argument that these are legacy problems and many overlapping systems makes grid management more complex than it needs to be7.
Nevertheless the market has coalesced around product offerings in the ADMS and DERMS space. So let’s start by digging into ADMS.
What is an ADMS?
An ADMS is a comprehensive software platform that serves as the backbone of modern electric utility control rooms. It provides utilities with essential tools for monitoring, controlling, and optimising the distribution grid, ensuring reliability, stability, and efficiency in an increasingly complex energy landscape.
ADMS builds on traditional DMS by integrating additional systems such as Outage Management and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). The latter provides control and monitoring of power plants.
Key Functions and Capabilities
Real-time Monitoring and Control
Captures real-time data from across the distribution network, including voltage, current, equipment status, and smart meter information.
Provides direct control over utility assets such as transformers, capacitor banks, and switches.
Offers comprehensive situational awareness of the grid's operational status.
Grid Modelling and Optimisation
Runs power flow models that are important to the functioning of the electricity system. The models analyse how electricity flows through the grid and help identify potential issues like overloads, voltage violations, or stability problems.
Conducts forecasting and look-ahead operations to predict future load patterns.
Implements grid optimisation techniques like Volt/VAR control to minimise losses and improve efficiency.
Outage Management and Reliability
Utilises Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration (FLISR) capabilities that reroute power in the event of a fault to restore power to as many customers as possible
Enables faster fault detection and outage management
Implements strategies to withstand disturbances and disasters
DER Integration and Management
Models various DER types, including solar PV, battery storage, EV charging stations, and co-generation facilities
Visualises DERs within the system, similar to other network assets
Incorporates DERs into network energisation status calculations and fault current contributions
Identifies grid-forming resources for localised power restoration during outages
System Integration
Acts as an integration framework for multiple utility IT systems
Interfaces with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Customer Information Systems (CIS), Meter Data Management (MDM) systems, and Energy Management Systems (EMS)
By improving situational awareness and enabling automatic system reconfiguration, ADMS boosts grid reliability and reduces outage duration. It efficiently integrates DERs, supporting the transition to a more decentralised, two-way power flow system. As a foundational technology, ADMS paves the way for solutions like DERMS and Virtual Power Plants8.
Examples
Using Schneider Electric’s ADMS solution9, Arizona Public Service (APS) implemented an ADMS to address wildfire risks and increased DER penetration10. This enabled better management of rooftop solar integration and wildfire prevention.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) launched an ADMS alongside a DERMS to support their Zero Carbon Plan11. Using software provided by Open Systems International12, this facilitated the shift to a two-way decentralised distribution system and optimised DER management.
Vector NZ’s ADMS
Since 2020 Vector Limited, New Zealand's largest electricity and gas distributor, has leveraged AWS Cloud capabilities to innovate and improve its services. To manage its growing and complex network, Vector implemented GE's ADMS13 on AWS Outposts14.
AWS Outposts enables AWS infrastructure and services to be run on premises. This meant Vector could deploy their ADMS using EC2 and EBS. Future evolution of their infrastructure may see usage of EKS and S3.
Vector's ADMS deployment demonstrates a robust, highly available architecture designed to ensure continuous operation of critical infrastructure. The system utilises two physically isolated AWS Outposts racks, each connected to a different Availability Zone in the AWS Sydney Region, creating an active-active setup with multiple ADMS instances and near real-time data replication. This redundancy extends across network, infrastructure, and application layers, safeguarding against various failure scenarios. Connectivity between the Outposts and the AWS Region is secured through redundant AWS Direct Connect links, enabling AWS to perform maintenance and monitoring while ensuring that sensitive data remains within Vector's network, accessible to on-premises systems via local gateways.
The AWS Reference Architecture for ADMS15 demonstrates this setup:
Conclusion
ADMS is proving to be a crucial technology in the evolving landscape of electricity distribution. As grids become increasingly decentralised due to the proliferation of renewable energy sources and DERs, ADMS offers utilities the comprehensive tools needed to monitor, control, and optimise their networks effectively.
The case studies of Arizona Public Service, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and particularly Vector Limited in New Zealand demonstrate the real-world applications and benefits of ADMS. Vector's implementation, leveraging AWS Outposts, showcases how cloud technologies can be adapted to meet the stringent requirements of critical infrastructure, providing high availability, resilience, and security.
Looking ahead, the integration of ADMS with other emerging technologies like DERMS and VPPs promises to further revolutionise grid management, supporting the global shift towards cleaner, more efficient, and more resilient energy systems.
