Services

ANSA® provides a range of services to businesses for modelling, simulating, and analysing low-carbon technologies and their integration into electricity networks

ANSA-EV

ANSA-EV provides information about EV charging, where and how congestion may occur in a network, and advice on fully utilising network capacity

EV Hosting Capacity

ANSA-EV enables electricity network companies to understand how EV charging will impact power flows and loading in their low voltage (LV) electricity networks, and the maximum EV charging capacity of each network

Mitigation Measures

ANSA-EV models the time-variant nature of consumer demand and EV charging, and the effectiveness of shifting charging times for decreasing network congestion and increasing the utilisation of each LV network's capacity

Congestion Mapping

The results of ANSA-EV can be used to identify where and when congestion may occur in each LV network due to EV charging, and how such congestion could be mitigated through time shifting of charging and/or network changes

Results

ANSA-EV provides detailed information about the impact of EV charging, including:

Congestion maps of each LV network, which identify where loading and voltage issues may occur
Hosting capacity maps, which show the EV hosting capacity of each LV network across an entire distribution network
Tabular results, which allow for further analysis and prioritisation of specific networks for data collection, monitoring, and detailed analysis

Large-scale Simulations

ANSA-EV simulates the steady-state impacts of electric vehicle charging in individual LV networks that directly connect consumers. ANSA's large-scale, parallel simulation methods allow analysis across entire distribution networks, using a full multiphase electrical model of every single LV network. This includes all transformers, lines and cables, and customer connections

ANSA-PV

ANSA-PV provides information to assess PV applications, where and how congestion may occur in a network, and advice on maximising network capacity

PV Hosting Capacity

ANSA-PV enables electricity network companies to understand how PV systems will operate and change loading and voltages in their low voltage (LV) electricity networks that directly connect consumers, and the number and size of PV systems that can be installed in a network

Mitigation Measures

ANSA-PV models inverter network support functionality, and the effectiveness of voltage control for decreasing network congestion and increasing PV hosting capacity

Connection Assessment

Knowledge of hosting capacity and inverter grid support functionality allow implementation of the EEA guideline for the connection of small-scale inverter based distributed generation, and automating of small-scale PV applications. This can also be applied to batteries or vehicle-to-grid exporting to the network

Congestion Mapping

The results of ANSA-PV can be used to identify where and when congestion may occur in each LV network due to PV export, and how such congestion could be mitigated through use of inverter network support functionality and/or network changes

Results

ANSA-PV provides detailed information about the impact of PV charging, including:

Congestion maps of each LV network, which identify where loading and voltage issues may occur
Hosting capacity maps, which show the PV hosting capacity of each LV network across an entire distribution network
Tabular results, which allow for further analysis and prioritisation of specific networks for data collection, monitoring, and detailed analysis

Large-scale Simulations

ANSA-PV simulates the steady-state impacts of PV generation in individual LV networks that directly connect consumers. ANSA's large-scale, parallel simulation methods allow analysis across entire distribution networks, using a full multiphase electrical model of every single LV network. This includes all transformers, lines and cables, and customer connections

ANSA-Network

ANSA-Network enables full low voltage network understanding to facilitate hosting capacity studies and data quality improvement

Network Data Conversion and Modelling

ANSA-Network enables electricity network companies to more efficiently extract, clean and process network data prior to using ANSA-PV and ANSA-EV. It does this by automatically converting raw network data from GIS databases into full electrical models, including the topological connectivity and electrical parameters of each element in every low voltage network. These models can subsequently be used to run detailed power flow simulations

Data Quality Assessment

ANSA-Network can identify a range of different different data quality issues, and can rank each LV network based on the number, type, and severity of issues found. This information can be used to assess the overall data quality of a network, and to prioritise specific networks for further investigation

Network Data Cleaning and Imputation

ANSA-Network utilises sophisticated machine-learning methods to impute missing network connections and unknown conductor types

Results

ANSA-Network provides detailed information about the quality of data across entire distribution networks, including:

Tabular results, which rank the data quality of each LV network and list any issues identified, classified by their severity level
GIS outputs, including heatmaps, which show the data quality of each network and the location of different issues. This facilitates the efficient identification and resolution of issues

ANSA-SolarSites

ANSA-SolarSites searches an entire geographical area for suitable solar farm sites, and provides tabular and heatmap outputs giving rate of return

Spatial Modelling

ANSA-SolarSites subdivides a geographical area into individual km x km cells, and models the expected performance of a solar farm in each cell with a suitable land type. An economic model calculates the estimated rate of return of a solar farm in every cell

Solar Performance Factors

ANSA-SolarSites considers a large number of factors when modelling the performance and expected return of each solar farm, including:

Solar resource
Solar farm technology and cost
Electricity price by location
Proximity to electricity grid infrastructure
Grid capacity and constraints
Grid connection costs
Land costs
Operation and maintenance costs

Research by ANSA has highlighted the importance of accurately accounting for, and modelling, each of these factors

Results

ANSA-SolarSites provides valuable information that can be used to identify the best location(s) to install solar farms, including:

Heatmaps, which show the expected internal rate of return (IRR) of a solar farm located at every site across the geographical area
Tabular results, containing extensive information about each site, which can be used to rank and shortlist potential solar farm sites

ANSA-SolarFarm

ANSA-SolarFarm models the solar farm performance of any design at any location, giving key metrics including historical generation, capacity factor, IRR, GWAP, and LCOE

Solar Farm Modelling

ANSA-SolarFarm enables solar farm owners to understand the performance of a proposed solar farm. It does this using a number of sophisticated models, including:

Irradiance models to calculate the available solar energy, including the effects of shading
Electrical models of different PV modules and inverters, including their power output and losses
Financial models for determining the rate of return of a solar farm

Solar Irradiance Data

ANSA-SolarFarm models the generation output of solar farms using a combination of measured solar irradiance data from ground observations, as well as modelled solar irradiance based on satellite imagery and reanalysis datasets. An advanced neural network model is used to impute missing and erroneous values, and to correct modelled data. This provides long time series of high quality irradiance data, with a greater spatial and temporal accuracy than datasets based on modelled data alone

Solar Farm Technology

ANSA-SolarFarm can model a range of different solar farm designs, including:

Open-rack and rooftop mounted systems
Fixed, horizontal single axis (HSAT), and dual-axis tracking (DAT) systems
Monofacial and bifacial PV modules
Different inverter loading ratios (ILR), including systems where the PV array capacity is larger than inverter capacity to maximise energy yield

Financial Modelling

ANSA-SolarFarm allows assessment of the rate of return of a solar farm or rooftop solar system, given certain capital cost, maintenance, and price assumptions

Results

ANSA-SolarFarm provides information that is essential for understanding the viability of a solar farm, including:

Half-hourly modelled solar farm generation from 1970 to the present year, as well as generation for a typical year
Key metrics such as internal rate of return (IRR), generation weighted average price (GWAP), and levelised cost of energy (LCOE)

ANSA-CommercialSolar

ANSA-CommercialSolar models rooftop solar performance for commercial enterprises, giving key metrics including IRR, energy generation, use, and export

Commercial Solar Modelling

ANSA-CommercialSolar models the power output, self-consumption, grid exports, network costs, and expected return of a solar system supplying a business, based on the solar resource, local demand, and electricity pricing

Self-Consumption and Export

ANSA-CommercialSolar utilises modelled solar generation in conjunction with the measured half-hourly electricity consumption of a business to understand the extent to which self-consumption will offset retail electricity purchases, and how much energy will be exported to the grid at each point in time

Network Costs

ANSA-CommercialSolar models company pricing to understand potential network cost savings

Results

ANSA-CommercialSolar provides valuable information that can be used to prepare a business case for installing commercial rooftop solar, including:

Economic benefits of commercial solar generation, including rate of return
Potential cost savings due to self-consumption and network cost savings
Solar energy generation amounts needed to value renewable energy credits

ANSA-SolarNetwork

ANSA-SolarNetwork models the operation of a proposed solar farm connected to high voltage subtransmission or medium voltage distribution networks

Network Constraints

ANSA-SolarNetwork allows electricity distribution businesses to understand the impact of solar farm generation on a network, and any potential constraints due to equipment overloading and/or voltage issues, and thereby meet the Initial Application requirements of the Electricity Industry Participation Code

PV Hosting Capacity

ANSA-SolarNetwork can be used to determine the maximum size of solar farm that can be connected to a subtransmission or medium voltage network before constraints occur

Network Upgrades and Reinforcement

The information provided by ANSA-SolarNetwork can be used by electricity distribution businesses to identify what network assets need to be upgraded, if any, to allow a solar farm to connect and operate

Network Support Functionality

ANSA-SolarNetwork models solar farm inverter voltage control to understand how solar farms may support voltage by consuming reactive power, and even provide reactive power to support voltage over night