1. Power Play Use the power of simulation to predict the future
Design presentation CS 410 –Black Team October 20th 2016

2. Table of contents Power Play Table of contents Team Black
Who is Dominion Power
Our Customer
Problem Statement
Problem Characteristics
Current Process Flow
Decision Making Challenges
Analysis Snapshot 1/3
Analysis Snapshot 2/3
Analysis Snapshot 3/3
Solution Statement
Our Solution: Simulation-Based Process Flow
Our Solution
Gameplay: Scenarios Presented
Gameplay: Planning Phase
Gameplay: Simulation Phase
Gameplay Results
Major Functional Components
Entertainment Competition:
Education Competition:
Limitations
Questions?
Works Cited
Table of contents

3. Team Mentor: ’Max’ Siangchokyoo
Team Black
Addy Alago
Jack Elder
David Hescheen
Nick Benfield
Ryan Rusnak
Trai Corte
Team Mentor: ’Max’ Siangchokyoo 3

4. Who is Dominion Power
Dominion Virginia Power is a Power Company that Supplies and Manage the Distribution of Electricity throughout Parts of Virginia and North Carolina As of 2015, the Total Energy Production provided Dominion to its customers can be accounted by Energy Sources such as Coal, Nuclear Power, Natural Gas, Oil, Hydro, and Other  Renewable Energy Sources For the purpose of this project, Dominion, in Partnership with the Old Dominion University Engineering Management and Computer Science Programs, has funded a team of researchers and web designers to create a simulation-based gaming platform to help train and inform managers of utility companies to become more aware of the strategic decision making process in the field of energy distribution  

5. Utility Companies Our Customer
Electric Companies need a better way to make and analyze decisions regarding their impacts on specific regions before the problems are realized
The system will be used by:
Electric Company Decision Makers
Research Analysts

6. Problem Statement
Utility companies need an approach for strategically analyzed decision making within defined geographic regions based upon predefined scenarios. 6

7. Problem Characteristics
Decisions need to be made in response to events affecting regional power plants.
Results of decisions can take years to materialize
Adjusting decisions a reactive, instead of proactive process
Misinformed decisions cost time and money
Problem Characteristics 7

8. Strategic Decision Making
Current Process Flow
Information from Various Departments within a Corporate Infrastructure at the End of a Fiscal Year
Forecasted Information based on Research and Development
Operational Performance
Financial Performance
Forecasted Demands
Emerging Technologies
Annual Planning Process
Annual Performance
Review
Reliability Challenges
Production Efficiency
Service Generation Mix
Regulatory Pressures
Examples of Key Decisions
Maintenance of Current Assets
Technological Investments
Distribution & Transmission Investments
Cost Reduction
End User Incentives
Strategic Decision Making
Performance Documentation
Observational
Period
Implementation of Strategic Decision
Reference: Strategies& (2015)
Time Consuming & Detrimental to Company’s Performance and System Infrastructure
Legend: Red- Slow Process, Yellow – Long Wait Periods, Blue – Yearly Process
Note: Decisions Process that Occurs Outside of a Company’s Annual Planning Process not Included*

9. Decision Making Challenges
Decisions come with different perils
Takes Time
Testing Difficult
Results can take decades
Live environment testing impossible $
Costly $
Mistakes
Expensive and hard to reverse
Can Be Disasterous
Manpower
Environment
Requires an entire team to research problem
Has an impact on the Environment

10. Analysis Snapshot 1/3 $1080 $5098 $6108
Gas
$5098
Coal
$6108
Nuclear
Cost of building a power plant per MW
Energy Information Administration,
Decisions about building or retiring a plant can be influenced by many factors and have long term rippling effects.
A plant not built today may put you behind tomorrow.
A plant not decommissioned today may become unprofitable.
Energy Information Administration,

11. New regulations on fossil fuel plants
Analysis Snapshot 2/3
New regulations on fossil fuel plants
(lbs CO2/MWh-g)
Steam
New:1,400
Modified: 1,800
Reconstructed: 1,800
Combustion
New/Reconstructed
New- Base load natural gas: 1,000
Reconstructed- Non-base load gas: 120
New regulations affect the decision as to which kind of technology to use in the future
They also force adaptations to current plants which don’t meet new standards
They add another layer to the decision to build new, modify, reconstruct or shutdown
EPA's Clean Power Plan,

12. Analysis Snapshot 3/3 Average Price to Customer ($/kW-hr)
Green House Gas Emissions by Technology
Cost Per Resource ($/kW-hr)
Wind $
Solar $ 0.125
Hydroelectric $ 0.08
Coal $
Natural Gas $
Nuclear $ 0.095
Renewable Energy Sources,
World Nuclear Association,
Average Price to Customer ($/kW-hr)
July July 2016
$ $
Energy Information Administration,

13. Solution Statement
Power Play will provide a risk-free simulated environment in which gameplay decisions can affect real world decisions. 13

14. Our Solution: Simulation-Based Process Flow
Strategic Decision Making
Our Solution: Simulation-Based Process Flow
Automated and Iterative Gameplay Process is to be Representative of Real-World Scenarios
Dominion Power Play
Users Registrations and Logins
User’s Past Decisions and Results Retrieve
User Granted Permission to Access
Annual Performance Review
Forecasted Information
Annual Planning Process
User Information Stored and Retrieved
Decision Information Stored
Strategic Decision Making
Implementation of Decisions
Unit Commitment & Capacity Expansion Model
*Simulated Forecast Information
Users’ Past Decisions and Gameplay Results
Iterative Gameplay Results Stored
Simulations Results Stored Presented as Historical Data
Forecast Information Provided by External R&D Team
Algorithm-Based Platform Provides Decision Options
Examples of Forecast Information
Energy Cost Forecast
Technological Capital Cost Forecast
Demand Forecast
Utility Company
*Dominion Power
Initial Scenario Provided
Discrete Event Simulation Model
Dispatch and Power Flow Simulation Model
Modifications to the Gameplay Scenarios
Note: Decisions Process that Occurs Outside of a Company’s Annual Planning Process not Included*
Legend: Red- Provided by Simulation Engine, Yellow – Data used for Simulation Generation, Blue – Process Replaced by Power Play

15. Dominion Power Play Our Solution Web Based Simulator
Web Based Simulator
Users will play the role of CEO.
Players presented with realistic scenarios.
Decisions on resource allocations will affect simulated outcomes.
Outcomes will be studied and applied to real life scenarios.
Store and Log information to be further analyzed and implemented

16. Gameplay: Scenarios Presented
Players will be given scenarios:
New legislation passed
Cost of resources (gas, coal) spikes or drops
Incoming natural disasters
Others can be added to simulations

17. Gameplay: Planning Phase
Players prepare for the scenario by making changes to power plants in various regions
Variables such as production levels, operating hours, retirement date etc can be set
Informative read only variables presented to player to aid planning

18. Gameplay: Simulation Phase18
Gameplay: Simulation Phase
Simulation Gameplay
Variables are pushed to the simulation engine
Outcomes are simulated and presented to player
New data and new simulations fed into Web interface for next round

19. Learning from simulations
Gameplay Results
Learning from simulations
Reporting
Reporting will be available to show different metrics and outcomes with each simulation.
Best outcomes can be studied and implemented in production environments without spending time and energy.
Potential pitfalls can be avoided by seeing the results of simulated decsions over the long and short term.
76%
Plant Uptime
89%
Plant Uptime
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
*Sample reporting

20. Major Functional Components20
Major Functional Components
Simulation Engine models and simulates power plant behavior (not created by Team Black)
SQL server pushes and pulls game variables to and from front end and simulation engine
Web based front end houses the game
Players can play on mobile or pc browser
Analysts can view reporting and outcomes based on simulations.
Annotate with labels
Reporting
Historical Decisions
Simulation Engine
Player information
Web Server
Web Page Front End
Gaming Results
User devices

21. Entertainment Competition:
We are building something truly unique
Entertainment Competition:
Power Play
Cities: Skylines
Sim City
Series
Electro City
Customizable scenarios
Yes No
Easy To Play
Simulation
Educational
Model’s Decision Making
Reporting For Analysis

22. Education Competition:
We are building something truly unique
Education Competition:
Power Play
Electricity Market Game
GridLab-D
Power Matrix
Customizable scenarios
Yes No
Easily To Play
Unknown
Simulation
Reporting For Analysis
Used by Power Companies
Educational

23. What Won’t Our Solution Do?
Limitations
What Won’t Our Solution Do?
Will not analyze results
Will not provide real time gameplay
Will not model without user input
Will not build scenarios
Will not simulate the data used in scenarios.

24. Questions? 24

25. Works Cited
"EPA's Clean Power Plan." EPA's Clean Power Plan. Dominion Power, n.d. Web. 25 Oct <
"Resource Cost." World Nuclear Association. World N, n.d. Web. 25 Oct <
Rozenblat, Lazar. "YOUR GUIDE TO RENEWABLE ENERGY." Renewable Energy Sources: Cost Comparison. Web. 25 Oct <
"Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions From New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating." Federal Register 205th ser (2015): n. pag. Print.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." How Much Does It Cost to Build Different Types of Power Plants in the United States? U.S. Energy Information Administration, 8 Aug Web. 25 Oct <
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source? Energy Information Administration, n.d. Web. 25 Oct < 25