Government and Utilities

ARIES helps governments and utilities around the world implement advanced energy, storage, and smart grid technologies for remote and islanded communities.

Projects

Read how governments and utilities are using ARIES to develop and evaluate new technologies.

ARIES Proves How Hybrid Power Plants Can Operate in Energy Markets

FlexPower is a Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium effort that combines the strengths of several DOE laboratories and funding offices to demonstrate hybrid plants using a full range of energy types, including pumped storage hydropower, ultracapacitors, nuclear, methane, hydrogen, kinetic storage, and more. The project team used ARIES to build physical hybrid plants with multiple energy types, design a controller for managing the resources, and deploy the hybrid plants against standard grid scenarios. Read more about the research.

Dangerous Electrical Oscillations Are Identified and Avoided With ARIES Scan Tool

The Grid Impedance Scan Tool (GIST) can detect destabilizing interactions that arise in power systems, and utilities and device manufacturers around the world are recognizing the importance of this ARIES-originated tool. One example is the island of Kauai, which has relied on GIST to overcome power system stability issues. As Kauai connected to ARIES using its authentic battery model, the GIST team injected a spectrum of electrical frequencies into the battery to scan its response, assuring the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative that its deployment could safely continue. GIST was a finalist for an R&D 100 Award in 2023 and continues to amass geographically broad interest from industry partners because of its uniqueness—there is no other tool with its full range of capabilities—and its technical importance to energy systems. Learn more about NREL's Grid Impedance Scan Tool software and grid stability capabilities.

Work With Us

Want to partner with us and take advantage of ARIES capabilities for your government or utility? Check out our Work With Us page to learn how.