ElectriSims goes beyond the physical system to model the complex regulatory, financial, and human behavioral market factors that drive the infrastructure. A key unique feature of the ElectriSims model is that it will dynamically integrate market features together with the physics of electricity flow and engineering of system components. All of this will be performed on the high performance computing machines developed under the federal Stockpile Stewardship Program.

The effort enjoys two separately arising imperatives, either of which alone is adequate motivation for a major new undertaking. (1) The recent Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD 63) initiates action in response to the report of the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, entitled "Critical Foundations: Protecting America's Infrastructures". And, (2) the regulatory infrastructure of the electric industry is already evolving rapidly toward competitive markets in place of the traditional regulated monopolies.

We foresee varied important applications for our comprehensive detailed simulation of the electric industry. Because there are so many applications we have created seven applications categories:

1. Policies and Regulation
2. Infrastructure Security
3. Technology Evaluation
4. Data Evaluation
5. Dispute Resolutions and Litigation
6. Software Verification and Validation
7. User Facility

Within a given category, the questions to be studied can have a number of disciplinary flavors. A technically motivated policy might be aimed at improving the margin of transmission network stability. A market-oriented policy might establish competition at the household level by allowing small bilateral contracts. A financial policy might impose a tax to "buy out" stranded costs.

For more information on the project:
A Comprehensive Detailed Simulation of the Electric-Power Industry: Harnessing the LANL High Performance Computing Infrastructure, Dowell and Henderson, CS Advanced Simulation Technologies Conf., Symp. on High Performance Computing, April 11-15, 1999, San Diego, CA, LA-UR-98-5920. Download pdf [120k]

"On Solving Nearly-Singular, Sparse Systems of Linear Equations: Diakoptics Techniques for Parallel Computing" LA-UR-00-2175 Download pdf [135k]

"Economic and Engineering Constraints on the Restructuring of the Electric-Power Industry: A Consideration of Reactive-Power Ancillary Services" LA-UR-00-2230 Download pdf [506k]

"Simulating Earthquake Damage to the Electric-Power Infrastructure: A Case Study for Urban Planning and Policy Development" LA-UR-00-3777 Download pdf [379k]

See a recent presentation containing a program overview (LA-UR-00-1574). Download pdf [623k]

View the FY99 ELISIMS Progress Report (LA-UR-00-1572). Download pdf [154k]