MARS Software

Multi-Area Reliability Simulation (MARS)

The MARS modeling software enables the electric utility planner to quickly and accurately assess the ability of a power system, comprised of a number of interconnected areas, to adequately satisfy the customer load requirements. Based on a full sequential Monte Carlo simulation, MARS performs a chronological hourly simulation of the system, comparing the hourly load demand in each area to the total available generation in the area, which has been adjusted to account for planned maintenance and randomly occurring forced outages. Areas with excess capacity will provide emergency assistance to those areas that are deficient, subject to the transfer limits between the areas.

Included in license purchase are three days of support/training in Schenectady, New York, and program maintenance updated for one year.

Features & Benefits

MARS calculates, on an area and pool basis, the standard reliability indices of daily and hourly LOLE (loss-of-load-expectation), and expected unserved energy, along with time-correlated indices such as frequency and duration of outage. The program can also calculate the expected number of days per year that various emergency operating procedures would need to be implemented.

Typical MARS applications include:

  • Resource adequacy assessments
  • Locational capacity requirements
  • Benefits of load diversity
  • Tie-line effectiveness
  • Expected need for EOPs

For More Information

To learn more about MARS software or training: