Transmission and Distribution Co-Simulation Tool: TDcoSim

Increasing penetration of grid edge distributed energy resources (DERs) may pose a challenge to the operation and reliability of bulk power systems. To understand the impact of DERs on the planning and operation of the bulk power system, the classical approach of the modeling distribution system as a single load and aggregated modeling of DERs at a node on the transmission system may not be adequate. Therefore, it is important to simulate the entire power system including the transmission system, the distribution system, and all connected DERs using a co-simulation tool like TDcoSim.

Created by Argonne National Laboratory, with support from the Advanced Grid Research and Development Division at the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity, TDCoSim is an open-source simulation, python-based package for co-simulation of transmission and distribution systems with or without DERs. With TDcoSim, users can run static and dynamic simulations to study the impact of feeder-connected DERs on the power transmission system.