Utilities have a new tool that provides them with a clearer picture of the wide-area electricity transmission system and enables decision-makers to respond swiftly to major power disruptions. The technology, dubbed VERDE (Visualizing Energy Resources Dynamically on Earth), combines the display capabilities of Google Earth with analysis and modeling components developed by a team led by Mallikarjun Shankar of ORNL's Computational Sciences and Engineering Division. The wider area view provided by VERDE, a first of its kind for the grid, significantly enhances situational awareness and speeds recovery times from power outages. "With this tool we are able to monitor individual transmission lines and place the system as a whole in the context of potential impact on population, transportation and critical infrastructures," Shankar said. The project was funded by DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
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