Knoxville, Tenn., May 22, 2006 - EnerNex Corporation, an electric power engineering and consulting firm specializing in the development and application of new electric power technologies, announced at the IEEE Power Engineering Society Transmission & Distribution Conference in Dallas that it has been notified that it will receive two research grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. The company is being awarded two of the five awards made in the area of electric power transmission and distribution technologies administered through the Department of Energy's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
One grant will support the creation of a standard data format to allow distribution system databases and software tools to interoperate. This international standard format will form the basis for a set of data translation software modules allowing different utility software systems to work together. The end product will allow communication between the various software tools that are currently employed for distribution system analysis and asset management. The new software will include common data tools for the conversion or translation of all open and proprietary data formats, in order to allow for data exchange and use by all distribution planners and operators. The translation modules will be open source, so that anyone can write new modules, lowering market entry barriers for university researchers and small businesses.
The second grant will support the creation of a software product that will enable load modeling and forecasting research results to be directly adopted at electric utilities. The software will permit customization for each utility and will support large data sets. EnerNex will develop modeling and prediction tools for the improved resolution of customer loads; accurate sensitivity assessments of the impact of weather conditions, new technologies, demand response programs, and load curtailment practices; and advanced algorithms and decision logics for the large data set analysis. The software will maximize use of current system capacity and meet contingency planning and response requirements.
Both projects will be led by EnerNex employee Thomas McDermott, a recognized expert in circuit simulation, distribution systems, lightning protection, power quality data analysis, and the development of software tools. The DOE grants fund research in determining the feasibility of both proposed efforts, with a goal toward later obtaining SBIR funding for developing full working prototypes.
According to Jeffrey Lamoree, President of EnerNex, the awards reflect the anticipated benefits of the end products: "We are very pleased that DOE has decided to fund these projects for the development of distribution system software tools. They will enable faster and more accurate data transfer, modeling and simulation of the distribution system, something that has been needed for quite some time."
EnerNex Corporation provides engineering and consulting services, along with software solutions and customization, for the electric power industry. EnerNex focuses on providing services around the development and application of new and emerging electric power technologies to engineer a cleaner, smarter energy system of the future. For more information on EnerNex, visit www.enernex.com.
Contact: Carrie Parks
Phone: 865-218-4600 ext.6142
carrie@enernex.com
www.enernex.com
