SAInt 3.5: Elevating Integrated Energy Network Planning to New Heights
We are excited to announce the release of SAInt version 3.5, packed with significant enhancements and new features designed to improve the efficiency and capabilities of your energy network modeling and planning.
Key Highlights of SAInt 3.5
1. Expanded Georeferenced Map Services
Google Maps and Bing Maps Support: In addition to OpenStreetMap, SAInt 3.5 now supports Google Maps and Bing Maps. Users can obtain API keys from Google Maps and Bing Maps and enter them in the SAInt settings dialogue. The map provider selection has been extended to the base map layer editor, allowing users to override the default map provider for each map. This enables more flexible and precise visualization of networks in different map windows.
2. Optimized Performance
Scenario Execution Enhancements: Overall performance for executing scenarios has been significantly improved, with optimized memory and CPU usage during simulations.
Large Network and Scenario Handling: SAInt 3.5 offers enhanced and optimized performance for importing, loading, and simulating large networks and scenarios, ensuring seamless processing even with complex and extensive datasets.
3. Capacity Expansion Modeling
SAInt 3.5 releases a new power system modeling capability. Capacity Expansion Modeling (CEM) in SAInt allows planners to optimize investments and retirements in generation, storage, and transmission assets. The new CEM module is accessible via SAInt’s API and uses Gurobi’s powerful LP solver.
4. Advanced Storage Modeling
Detailed Operational Constraints: Properties for modeling and limiting the consecutive charging/discharging behavior of Electric Storage (ESTR) and Pumped Hydro Storage (PHSTR) objects have been added. This enhances the accuracy of optimization models involving energy storage technologies.
Support for Electric Storage (3-Phase) in Unbalanced AC Power Flow Simulations: This new feature ensures more accurate and detailed simulations for complex electric storage systems, enabling effective modeling of distributed energy resources.
5. Enhanced Scenario Event Visualization
Extended Scenario Event Charts: Scenario Event charts have been extended to be displayed based on Scenario Event Type. Additionally, Scenario and Profile Start and End Times are now annotated on the charts, providing clearer and more detailed visualization of events throughout your simulations.
Explore the New Features Today!
Join us in leading a new era of energy network modeling with SAInt 3.5. Whether you plan electric, gas, or thermal networks, or value new assets, our latest release offers the tools, performance, and reliability you need to plan for the future.
To all SAInt users: Thank you for your valuable feedback, which has been instrumental in driving these improvements. We look forward to continuing this journey with you and are always eager to hear your thoughts on how we can further enhance SAInt.
Contact Us to learn more about how SAInt 3.5 can help your planning.
The full list of Release Notes for this version is available on our download page.
What is SAInt?
The Scenario Analysis Interface for Energy Systems (SAInt) is an integrated energy network planning software that enables coordination across planning domains, helping utilities, system operators, and asset developers navigate the energy transition.
SAInt executes optimization models for system expansion, operations, and markets, along with physical simulations of electric, gas, and thermal networks, all in one modeling platform with a single and consistent data structure.
Utility planners and engineers can integrate planning across electric generation, transmission, and distribution by seamlessly transitioning between physical simulations and optimization models. They can also integrate electric and gas or thermal infrastructure planning by performing hydraulic simulations of gas pipeline networks, as well as thermal-hydraulic simulations of heating and cooling networks.
Asset developers can quantify the value and risks of new projects by running capacity expansion and production cost models. In the same platform, they can also assess infrastructure impacts through physical simulations.
SAInt’s flexible and intuitive interfaces (GUI and API) foster collaboration between engineers, aligning different planning objectives and transforming energy planning.