Contents 1. Introduction
Currently, the power system industry utilizes distinct applications to simulate the same power system during the planning stage and during the real-time operations phase. For instance, the planning power flow algorithm is essentially the same as the real-time power flow function, but they operate on data models that have different formats, data structures, and data integration. While a set of vendors provide tools capable of solving planning models, which to a certain extent can exchange cases, EMS vendors provide proprietary solutions with very limited interoperability. Usually it is cumbersome to compare the solutions of real-time applications to planning cases since the power system models are incompatible. Real-time or Full-Topology Models used by operations represent the power system at the individual node and breaker level, while Planning or Consolidated Models are higher-level views of the power system established at the bus and branch level. In the later model, all the physical nodes, junctions, and bus-bars that are connected through closed breakers in the full-topology model are grouped together to form a Bus in the planning case. All the breakers, isolators, and disconnection devices are no longer present in the planning model.
