IPSYS

IPSYS is a flexible simulation framework for integrated energy systems with multiple forms of energy and complex control structures. It has been developed with system performance simulations in mind, particularly involving large amounts of renewable energy.

IPSYS calculates an energy balance for each form of energy, taking their interdependencies into account. The simulation is quasi-static, with calculation timesteps typically in the range of a few seconds to some minutes. The internal structure of each energy subsystem can be explicitly modelled as a network of components. All components can be connected to simulated controllers which are themselves able to exchange information, in order to implement system-wide control. This feature can be used to build control hierarchies as well as distributed control configurations. The components and controllers in the library are easy to customize, and new types can be added.

The simulation accepts various forms of time series input, either provided by one of the built-in generators or read from an external source, such as measured data. IPSYS is written entirely in C++ and runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows and Linux.

Features

• Flexible system configuration
• Support for interaction between multiple "balance domains" with individual solver strategies (electrical, mechanical, thermal, water, hydrogen,...)
• Explicit modelling of electrical networks (power flow, load sharing)
• Modular design - new domains, components or controllers can be
  easily developed using the framework API.
• Flexible modelling of controller hierarchies, with pluggable control strategies
• Currently runs under Windows and Linux, compilation for other Unix flavours possible.

Demonstration cases

• Small multi-utility wind-diesel system
• Large island grid (Cape Verde)

Publications on IPSYS

• Paper for WREC VIII, Denver 2004
• Paper for EWEC '04, London
• Paper for Solar 2004, Perth