Specifying a smart-grid Distribution Management System

Context

Running a smart grid means seeing and controlling the distribution network in much finer detail than legacy systems allowed. Ørsted needed to replace its legacy Netcenter Distribution Management System for control and monitoring of the 10 kV network and to be ready for smart-grid operations. The procurement had to define what that system must do before any vendor could build it.

What I did

I developed the technical tender specification for the new Distribution Management System, setting out the architecture and the capabilities needed to enable smart-grid operations. This drew on the integration and event-driven work across the energy systems and translated the operational goals into requirements a supplier could deliver against.

Outcome

Ørsted had a clear, technically grounded specification to procure a Distribution Management System fit for smart-grid operations, and the tender was run to a selected supplier on that basis, reducing the risk in a large and long-lived investment.