2025 Workshop: Annual Electromagnetic Transient Simulation

2025 Workshop: Annual Electromagnetic Transient Simulation featured image

About

Modeling and simulation tools that were useful for conventional mechanical equipment must evolve to meet the needs of a modern electric grid that is permeated with power electronics such as inverters. These fast-acting devices are affected differently by faults in distant parts of the grid. In order to plan expansions, interconnections and operations to ensure an uninterrupted power supply, utilities and power system operators need a better understanding of how recent changes in grid architecture will change grid behavior.

Electromagnetic transient (EMT) domain analysis has demonstrated greater accuracy in its ability to reproduce and understand faults in systems with increasing numbers of the inverters required in generation, transmission, storage, and loads (like data centers). Collaboration among researchers, regulators and the power industry is crucial to develop best practices using EMT modeling, combined with other methods and tools, to keep electricity flowing smoothly to customers. As the industry transitions to adopt EMT simulations, there is a need for national-scale collaborations and coordination that may be facilitated through discussions in this workshop and by identifying key research gaps, challenges, and needs for the next decade or more.

Event

Date: 7-9 October 2025

Location: Bridgewater Place, 205 Bridgewater Rd, Knoxville, TN 37923

TimeEventLead
Tuesday, October 07, 2025
8:00-8:30 amWELCOME AND BREAKFAST SERVED Badging and IntroductionsLaura Touton
8:30-9:00 amWorking Breakfast: Opening Remarks Initial Introduction: Suman DebnathPhilip Bingham (Division Director, ORNL)
9:00-9:30 amKeynotes: Program and Research Overview Chair: Suman DebnathSuman Debnath (ORNL)
9:30-9:45 amBreak
9:45-11:30 amIndustry Keynotes: Need for EMT, Coordinated Activities, Challenges Chair: Aung ThantNick Parker (Southwest Power Pool [SPP]) Latrice Harkness (North American Electric Reliability Corporation [NERC]) Andrew Arana (Florida Power & Light [FPL])
11:30 am-12:30 pmWORKING LUNCH: Q&A from keynotes and discussionsLaura Touton
12:30-1:00 pmNERC EMT WG: Work Items Update Working Groups Overview for EMTAung Thant (NERC) Suman Debnath (ORNL)
1:00-1:45 pmWorking Group 1: Applications & PilotsHarvey Scribner (SPP) Marcelo Elizondo (PNNL), Peter Hoang (ORNL)
1:45-2:30 pmWorking Group 2: Input Data Structures & ModelsAdedasola Ademola (Dominion Energy) Nilanjan Chaudhuri (PSU), Rahul Mishra (ORNL),
2:30-2:45 pmBreak
2:45-3:30 pmWorking Group 3: SolversRicardo Orfei/Sarina Adhikari (MEPPI) Carol Woodward (LLNL), Qianxue Xia (ORNL
3:30-4:15 pmWorking Group 4: Features/Automation/Post-ProcessingAli Yazdanpanah (ERCOT) Shrirang Abhyankar, Phani Marthi (ORNL), Qianxue Xia (ORNL)
4:15-5:00 pmWorking Group 5: Training & Workforce DevelopmentAung Thant (NERC) Maryam Saeedifard (Georgia Tech), Sumit Paudyal (FIU)
5:00-5:30 pmWrap-UpSuman Debnath (ORNL)
Wednesday, October 08, 2025
8:00-8:30 amWELCOME AND BREAKFAST SERVED Badging and IntroductionsLaura Touton
8:30-9:00 amWorking Breakfast: IEEE ITSLC EMT WhitepaperKevin Chen (Duke Energy)
9:00-10:15 amTechnical Session-1: Input Data Structures in EMT Chair: Nilanjan Chaudhuri (PSU), Rahul Mishra (ORNL)Glen Halley (City Utilities of Springfield), Thomas McDermott (Meltran), Ricardo Orfei (MEPPI)
10:15 – 10:20 amBreak
10:20 -11:35 amTechnical Session-2: Features/Tools Support for EMT Chair: Phani Marthi (ORNL), Brendan James Preece (Southern Company)Fred Waugh (MIT LL), Amar Reddy (ASU), Tamer Ibrahim (EPRI)
11:35 am-1:00 pmIntroduction to Demos WORKING LUNCH: Demo Session-1 (EMT software)Suman Debnath (ORNL) Shamim Hasan, Phani Marthi, Md Shamim Hasan, Peter Hoang, Qianxue Xia, Harry Hughes, Rahul Mishra (ORNL)
1:00 – 1:15pmGRID-C OverviewMadhu Chinthavali (ORNL)
1:15-1:35 pmKeynote: EMT Training NeedsAlex Shattuck (ESIG)
1:35-3:20 pmTutorial-1.1: EMT Simulation Basics: Theory, Different Software, Hands-OnSuman Debnath (ORNL), Md Shamim Hasan (ORNL), Phani Marthi (ORNL)
3:20-3:30 pmBreak
3:30-5:30 pmTutorial-1.2: EMT Simulation Basics: Component Modeling, Hands-OnAlex Shattuck (ESIG), Aung Thant (NERC), Md Shamim Hasan (ORNL), Phani Marthi (ORNL)
Thursday, October 09, 2025
8:00-8:30 amWELCOME AND BREAKFAST SERVED Badging and IntroductionsLaura Touton
8:00-9:45 amTechnical Session-3: EMT for Large Loads Working Breakfast: 8:00am – 9:00am Chair: Gad Ilunga (Dominion Energy), Yenpo Ho (Oncor Electric Delivery)Alex Shattuck (ESIG), Hasala Dharmawardena (NERC), Mostafa Sedighizadeh (SPP), Ali Yazdanpanah (ERCOT)
9:45-10:00 amBreak
10:00-11:20 amTechnical Session-3: EMT for Large Loads Chair: Gad Ilunga (Dominion Energy), Yenpo Ho (Oncor Electric Delivery)Nick Giffin (Elevate), Bob Arritt (EPRI), Yashodhan Agalgaonkar (NREL)
11:20 am-1:00 pmWORKING LUNCH: Demo Session-2 ContinuedShamim Hasan, Phani Marthi, Md Shamim Hasan, Peter Hoang, Qianxue Xia, Harry Hughes, Rahul Mishra (ORNL)
1:00-2:50 pmTutorial-2.1: Inverters in EMT Simulation Basics: Inverter hardware, Software, Hands-OAlex Shattuck (ESIG), Aung Thant (NERC), Md Shamim Hasan (ORNL), Phani Marthi (ORNL)
2:50-3:00 pmBreak
3:00-5:00 pmTutorial-2.2: Inverters in EMT Simulation Basics: Generation hardware, PPC, Hands-OnAlex Shattuck (ESIG), Aung Thant (NERC), Md Shamim Hasan (ORNL), Phani Marthi (ORNL)

Event Description

Description of 2025 Event: Join us in exploring topics related to electromagnetic transient simulations: modeling, simulations, input data structures needed, pre- and post-processing automation to enhance ease of usage, and different applications/studies. The workshop will bring together researchers, consultants, utilities, system operators, and reliability organizations to learn from recent advances in studies and technologies as well as about new initiatives started based on inputs received from the community in the previous workshops. In this edition, there will be tutorials to enhance the knowhow of electromagnetic transient simulations within the community. Finally, participants will be able to provide feedback on the ongoing activities as well as new challenges faced as greater adoption of these simulations happen.

There were 125+ attendees and 40 talks in this 3-day workshop that presented the ongoing R&D to help resolve the gaps and challenges identified in the previous workshops.

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