IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orijoc/v37y2025i3p503-515.html

Microgrid Planner: An Open-Source Software Platform

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Reich

    (Department of Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93955)

  • Leah Frye

    (Extended Campus, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93955)

Abstract

We introduce an open-source software platform for developing microgrid planning tools. Our platform is composed of a computational layer developed in Python; a MySQL database layer; a REST API developed in Flask; a web app front end developed in Flask, HTML templates, and JavaScript; containerized deployment through Docker; and high-performance computing integration using Slurm. Our base capabilities include user accounts with authentication, user-defined distributed energy resource components and microgrids, user uploads of power load data, a core simulation method, and a microgrid sizing method. These capabilities are all integrated into a user-friendly web application, which is designed to be customized and extended. Whereas our platform already includes a useful set of microgrid planning tools, our vision is for it to bridge the active academic analytical modeling research for microgrid planning into deployable software tools that can be readily used by practitioners. In addition to describing our current capabilities, this paper details how our platform design facilitates easy adoption by other researchers developing analytical methods for microgrid planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Reich & Leah Frye, 2025. "Microgrid Planner: An Open-Source Software Platform," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 37(3), pages 503-515, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orijoc:v:37:y:2025:i:3:p:503-515
    DOI: 10.1287/ijoc.2023.0336
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2023.0336
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/ijoc.2023.0336?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Reich & Giovanna Oriti, 2021. "Rightsizing the Design of a Hybrid Microgrid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Stadler, M. & Groissböck, M. & Cardoso, G. & Marnay, C., 2014. "Optimizing Distributed Energy Resources and building retrofits with the strategic DER-CAModel," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 557-567.
    3. Alexander J. Zolan & Michael S. Scioletti & David P. Morton & Alexandra M. Newman, 2021. "Decomposing Loosely Coupled Mixed-Integer Programs for Optimal Microgrid Design," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 1300-1319, October.
    4. Umberto Berardi & Elisa Tomassoni & Khaled Khaled, 2020. "A Smart Hybrid Energy System Grid for Energy Efficiency in Remote Areas for the Army," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-22, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    2. Yanfeng Liu & Yaxing Wang & Xi Luo, 2020. "Design and Operation Optimization of Distributed Solar Energy System Based on Dynamic Operation Strategy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-26, December.
    3. Wirtz, Marco, 2023. "nPro: A web-based planning tool for designing district energy systems and thermal networks," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    4. Theresa Liegl & Simon Schramm & Philipp Kuhn & Thomas Hamacher, 2023. "Considering Socio-Technical Parameters in Energy System Models—The Current Status and Next Steps," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Ayman Al-Quraan & Muhannad Al-Qaisi, 2021. "Modelling, Design and Control of a Standalone Hybrid PV-Wind Micro-Grid System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.
    6. Logan Williams & J. Michael Doster & Daniel Mikkelson, 2024. "Modeling and Optimization of a Nuclear Integrated Energy System for the Remote Microgrid on El Hierro," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-23, November.
    7. Daniel Reich, 2025. "A Generalized Method for Rightsizing the Design of a Hybrid Microgrid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, March.
    8. Fridgen, Gilbert & Kahlen, Micha & Ketter, Wolfgang & Rieger, Alexander & Thimmel, Markus, 2018. "One rate does not fit all: An empirical analysis of electricity tariffs for residential microgrids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 800-814.
    9. Hermann, Julian & Kachirayil, Febin & Lohrmann, Alena & Scheller, Fabian & Roskosch, Dennis & McKenna, Russell, 2025. "A critical reflection on modelling approaches for heat pumps and building envelope retrofits in local energy system optimisations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 400(C).
    10. Hua, Jian & Shiu, Hong-Gwo, 2018. "Sustainable development of renewable energy on Wangan Island, Taiwan," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 200-208.
    11. Korkas, Christos D. & Baldi, Simone & Michailidis, Iakovos & Kosmatopoulos, Elias B., 2015. "Intelligent energy and thermal comfort management in grid-connected microgrids with heterogeneous occupancy schedule," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 194-203.
    12. G., Varathan & J., Belwin Edward, 2024. "A review of uncertainty management approaches for active distribution system planning," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    13. Gallego-Castillo, Cristobal & Heleno, Miguel & Victoria, Marta, 2021. "Self-consumption for energy communities in Spain: A regional analysis under the new legal framework," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Federico Minelli & Diana D’Agostino & Maria Migliozzi & Francesco Minichiello & Pierpaolo D’Agostino, 2023. "PhloVer: A Modular and Integrated Tracking Photovoltaic Shading Device for Sustainable Large Urban Spaces—Preliminary Study and Prototyping," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-35, August.
    15. Scheller, Fabian & Bruckner, Thomas, 2019. "Energy system optimization at the municipal level: An analysis of modeling approaches and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 444-461.
    16. Maximilian Hoffmann & Leander Kotzur & Detlef Stolten & Martin Robinius, 2020. "A Review on Time Series Aggregation Methods for Energy System Models," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-61, February.
    17. Khalilpour, Rajab & Vassallo, Anthony, 2016. "Planning and operation scheduling of PV-battery systems: A novel methodology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 194-208.
    18. Gabrielli, Paolo & Gazzani, Matteo & Martelli, Emanuele & Mazzotti, Marco, 2018. "Optimal design of multi-energy systems with seasonal storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 408-424.
    19. Abdulhameed Babatunde Owolabi & Abdullahi Yahaya & Hong Xian Li & Dongjun Suh, 2023. "Analysis of the Energy Performance of a Retrofitted Low-Rise Residential Building after an Energy Audit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-19, August.
    20. Hirwa, Jusse & Zolan, Alexander & Becker, William & Flamand, Tülay & Newman, Alexandra, 2023. "Optimizing design and dispatch of a resilient renewable energy microgrid for a South African hospital," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 348(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:orijoc:v:37:y:2025:i:3:p:503-515. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.