OpenEMS and Power Plant Controller Integration

1

Hi Everybody,
I have a question regarding the workflow between the Power Plant Controller (PPC) and OpenEMS. The PPC is an automation platform designed to manage and optimize system operations, similar to what OpenEMS does, but OpenEMS has additional functionalities related to optimization and trading.
I see a potential overlap or conflict between OpenEMS and the PPC in terms of their roles. This is what I would like to clarify—how do these two systems interact, and how should their responsibilities be structured to avoid redundancy or conflicts?
Looking forward to your insights.
Thanks in advance
Mansour

2

Hi Mansour,

we see PPCs in large scale applications where they serve e.g. the role of an “EZA-Regler” in Germany. This way the grid operators are able to send reduction signals to a PV oder storage system.

In our setups this signal is then sent to OpenEMS (e.g. via Modbus/TCP) and OpenEMS takes care of forwarding the requirement to the different battery inverters etc.

Regards,
Stefan

4

Hi !
Your question is just what we talk about last year.,but the PPC here is MGC(Mircro-grid controller) . The EMS will communicate to PCS and MGC but only control MGC. Then MGC send the control command to PCS. The EMS only monitor PCS’s digital and analog value.
The PPC is more like AGC system in big ESS system such as 200MW/400MWH or bigger.

5

Hi @stefan.feilmeier,
Hi @liu3p,
Hi all,
Thank you again for the helpful explanations!

I’d like to follow up on one point for clarification. In large-scale systems where a Microgrid Controller or a SmartLogger (in Huawei case) is present and acts as the direct controller of PCS/inverters:

  • Does OpenEMS send its optimization-based setpoints directly to the MGC, and the MGC handles all local execution (including commands from PPC)?
  • Or does OpenEMS still communicate with the PPC, which then coordinates with the MGC?

My point in another way,
How does the MGC handle and prioritize commands coming from both:

  • the PPC (representing the grid operator), and
  • the OpenEMS (doing optimization, forecasting, trading commands, etc.)?

Understanding how grid constraints (from PPC) are made available to OpenEMS for optimization would also be very helpful.

Thanks again for your time and support!

Best regards,
Mansour

6

Hello!
Actually I just study OpenEMS this week and the details of the OpenEMS system now are not very clear. I also have my own EMS system but OpenEMS
show me a lot of good thinking.

What about the MGC handle and prioritize commands coming from both PPC and OpenEMS is more like big system in gird.

For example, the PPC and EMS both can control the MGC . The PPC in the control system is above the EMS.The MGC only communicate to EMS and the EMS commnicate to PPC as slave. Normally, the EMS control the MGC. The control center or PPC send schedule curve(96 points per day) to EMS and EMS execute the curve. And there is digital value represents the EMS mode(local and remote), local means EMS now execute schedule curve and remote mean EMS is waiting PPC send real time control command.

So if PPC want to control MGC, 1st, PPC send command to EMS to make EMS to remote running mode. 2nd,PPC send power control command to EMS and EMS transfer command to MGC.

And there is also another case. The MGC communicate to PPC and EMS both.Usually EMS control the MGC. If the PPC wants to control MGC ,the PPC send command to EMS to make it stop controlling MGC and then PPC control the MGC.

May this could help you.

7

Many thanks your help, it is very appreciated :slightly_smiling_face:

8

Many thanks, your help is very appreciated :slightly_smiling_face: