GE Digital has announced the latest release of its ADMS advanced distribution management system that enables safe and secure management and orchestration of the electricity distribution grid.

It delivers reliability, productivity and efficiency through a modular architecture, adaptive algorithms and predictive analytics for autonomous and optimised distribution grid and renewables operations.

Advances in software enable electricity distribution utilities to optimise their operations with increased flexibility and operational awareness. This means field crews and operations are better connected to provide an effective and efficient response to power distribution situations, including getting power restored more quickly in case of an outage.

As the industry commits to decarbonisation through renewable sources such as wind, solar, electric vehicles and energy storage, the ADMS, with distributed energy resources (DERs) orchestration, enables utilities to enhance grid resiliency and reliability.

It also includes a set of tools to support automated deployment and testing to streamline upgrades and deployments.

With this update, GE Digital has enhanced DER awareness and orchestration for distribution grid operations, improving capabilities of connected resources by modelling, visualisation, forecasting, monitoring and controlling assets. The applications can efficiently analyse and leverage renewable resources for grid operations.

The ADMS now leverages the IEEE 2030.5 communications standard to monitor and control behind-the-meter DERs through smart inverters.

Operators can deliver a more effective and efficient response during severe weather. This release includes a leap in outage management applications, supporting utilities in decentralising their outage response. A modern, intuitive user interface guides operators through the restoration process. It also empowers restoration specialists to work in concert across the utility with increased visibility for effective coordination of work throughout the organisation and multiple locations.

The release also includes an enhanced user interface including workflows for control room operators and dispatchers. This improves workflow efficiency while maintaining safe and reliable switching operations and delivers improvements on regulatory key performance indicators.

Enhanced mobile operations improve the connectivity between field crews and the control room by simplifying and digitising the interaction. Field crews are provided with a real-time view of the grid, and switching orders allow switching to be recorded directly from the field. This streamlines grid management through secure field and control room collaboration delivering visibility and control to the field crew.

“Every day, management of the grid becomes more challenging,” said Jim Walsh, GE Digital general manager. “The growth of renewables and DERs provides an opportunity for electric utilities to leverage these new resources to manage grid reliability and resiliency. The distribution network is becoming more dynamic and working-from-home has increased the reliability needs for the low-voltage and secondary grid. Our software supports the full spectrum of electric utilities – from small to large – with mission critical, storm-proven systems.”

Headquartered in San Ramon, California, GE Digital is a subsidiary of General Electric.