Aspen Technology Inc, a global leader in industrial software, has introduced the AspenTech Microgrid Management System™ (MMS), a solution for customers with heavy electrical power requirements in mining and other asset-intensive industries that manage their own on-site conventional and renewable power generation in orchestration with active load management and energy storage. Based on the company’s proven AspenTech OSI monarch™ SCADA platform, the solution it says “empowers customers to maximise operational performance and accelerate net-zero goals.”

The capabilities delivered by AspenTech MMS are described as critical to high-energy consumers today as the power grid is at a critical juncture with increasing energy demand, ageing and at-capacity grid infrastructure, more severe weather events and increasing cybersecurity threats challenging its reliability and stability.

As a result, industrial and commercial energy consumers are increasingly at risk for extended power outages, limitations in power consumption, and inability to meet renewable energy goals, all of which have cascading production and business impact, including delayed restarts, environmental penalties, reduced supply and increased end user costs.

“AspenTech’s new microgrid solution reduces energy vulnerability and business risk by bringing innovation to asset-intensive industries based on decades of electric utility control and automation experience gained at more than 400 global utilities,” said Sally Jacquemin, Vice President of Power and Utilities at AspenTech. “AspenTech Microgrid Management System brings functionality and flexibility to the power challenge, helping heavy energy users achieve both operational and net-zero objectives.”

A part of AspenTech’s Digital Grid Management suite, AspenTech MMS it says helps industrial customers address these challenges by providing enhanced power reliability with active, real-time management of power generation resources, including renewable energy and storage, improved situational awareness to maximise return on investment and enhanced cybersecurity to protect all critical loads.

The solution also features a robust Industrial AI approach capable of forecasting power consumption and renewable generation up to 35 days in the future, enabling scheduling and optimisation algorithms to maximise the use of generation resources while minimising emissions and electricity costs.

Additional standard AspenTech MMS features now available include:

• Real-time control, trending, alarming and reporting to ensure system reliability and incident response
• Ability to optimise renewables together with traditional electricity generation and battery storage in balance with active load management
• Forecasting and scheduling capabilities to enable peak shaving and optimised battery charging/discharging
• Robust user interface with responsive data historian and reporting capabilities

Advanced capabilities are also available for customers by accessing the company’s full Digital Grid Management suite of solutions.