PowerSimulationsDynamics.jl -- An Open Source Modeling Package for Modern Power Systems with Inverter-Based Resources
Jose Daniel Lara, Rodrigo Henriquez-Auba, Matthew Bossart, Duncan S. Callaway, Clayton Barrows
TL;DR
PowerSimulationsDynamics.jl (PSID.jl) tackles the need for scalable, open-source dynamic power-system simulation in the era of high inverter-based resources. It provides a Julia-based modular framework that supports both quasi-static phasor (QSP) and dq0-EMT time-domain simulations, using a data-model driven approach with residual and mass-matrix differential-algebraic equation formulations and automatic differentiation for Jacobians. The key contributions include a flexible DynamicInjection device model, modular generator/inverter models, network dq transformation, and integration with DifferentialEquations.jl to explore implicit solvers for stiff, multi-rate systems. Validation against PSS®E, PSCAD, and ANDES demonstrates accurate results at large scales (e.g., 240-bus WECC QSP and 144-bus EMT) with substantial computational efficiency improvements over full EMT. The work enables rapid prototyping of new IBR models and control schemes, and lays groundwork for black-box models and ML surrogates.
Abstract
In this paper we present the development of an open-source simulation toolbox, PowerSimulationsDynamics.jl, to study the dynamic response of power systems, focusing on the requirements to model systems with high penetrations of Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs). PowerSimulationsDynamics.jl is implemented in Julia and features a rich library of synchronous generator, inverter, and load models. In addition, it allows the study of quasi-static phasors and electromagnetic dq models that use a dynamic network representation. Case studies and validation exercises show that PowerSimulationsDynamics.jl results closely match other commercial and open-source simulation tools.