California ISO and Siemens Go Live with New EMS Platform Based on Spectrum Power 7

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Siemens announced that the California Independent System Operator (ISO) has launched its Spectrum Power^TM 7 Energy Management System (EMS) platform, offering a highly sophisticated system that will enhance grid reliability for much of California and a portion of Nevada.

Siemens Spectrum Power 7 EMS platform helps minimize power disruptions, foster renewable generation integration, and boost grid efficiencies.

“A utility’s energy management system is critical to maintaining a reliable grid,” said ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich. “Following a comprehensive and competitive review process, ISO selected Siemens’ Spectrum Power 7 platform because it offers the tools to create a robust system that supports advanced operational applications that will expand to accommodate new customer services, especially with the growth of our real-time energy market, the Western Energy Imbalance Market, and the launch of our RC West reliability coordination services.”

To advance ISO’s leading position in the market, Spectrum Power 7 EMS identifies and alerts grid operators of potentially problematic areas on the grid by combining grid applications with vast amounts of data available from the system.

“Maintaining the integrity and reliability of our energy infrastructure is vital to supporting the quality of our modern life,” says Rafael Ozaki, Business Unit Head for Digital Grid at Siemens Smart Infrastructure USA. “We are honored to continue to work with the California ISO as we endeavor to provide efficient, secure power grid operations.”

Critical features of the solution include:

• Data access layer – aggregates data from various sources and presents valuable information to the grid operator;
• Visualization and usability – allow operators to visualize the grid, react quickly, identify disturbances, and focus on areas that need attention;
• Advanced alarming – presents an alarm within the control center if a fault occurs in the field, alerting operators to quickly find and correct problems; and
• Model sizing and performance.

Spectrum Power is a trademark of Siemens and/or its affiliates in some countries.