Power system and electricity market modeling in PLEXOS
Modeling for utilities, renewable developers and investors, lenders and consulting firms: price and revenue forecasts, battery storage sizing, grid integration and curtailment, capacity expansion planning, project feasibility, and PLEXOS training.
Work runs on the client's PLEXOS license, under direct contract or subcontract, with full confidentiality.
Typical requests
A lender needs a defensible revenue forecast before the project can reach financial close.
The PLEXOS license is in place, but the model does not produce results the team can rely on.
A model inherited from a previous consultant comes with undocumented assumptions and no clear methodology.
The methodology is set, but the team lacks modeling capacity, and hiring for a single project is not justified.
Services
Generation and storage projects
Price and revenue forecasting
Hourly simulation of the asset within the power system: generation, captured price, and sensitivity to fuel prices, demand and generation mix.
Battery storage sizing
BESS power and energy capacity optimized across energy arbitrage, capacity payments and ancillary services.
Grid integration and curtailment
Curtailment volumes, loading of constrained transmission corridors, and the effect of network reinforcement and storage on export capacity.
System planning
Capacity expansion planning
Long-term least-cost optimization of the generation mix and commissioning timeline under demand, fuel price and climate policy scenarios, with system cost and resource adequacy outcomes.
New asset feasibility
System-level impact of thermal plants and transmission projects on dispatch, reliability and total system cost.
Modeling support for consulting teams
The modeling workstream of consulting and planning engagements: input data preparation, scenario runs, quality assurance and reporting to the client's methodology.
Model review
Model audit and remediation
Review of an existing PLEXOS database: reconstructing and documenting assumptions, correcting data and configuration errors, and benchmarking results against actual system operation.
PLEXOS training
Training covers database structure, input data preparation, simulation setup and results analysis. Each program is tailored to the client's objectives and the team's level. No prior PLEXOS experience is required.
Who it is for
Utility planning departments, analysts at renewable developers, and specialists at financial institutions and consulting firms.
Approach
Training is built around the client's own power system model and data. Participants finish with a working model and a clear understanding of how it is built.
Format
On-site or remote, in English or Russian. Duration depends on the program.
Deliverables
A working PLEXOS database, model maintenance guidelines, and follow-up support during the first independent runs.
Engagement models
On licensing
ESM does not hold its own PLEXOS license, which is standard practice for independent modelers. All work runs on the client's license or cloud instance, under the client's information security and confidentiality requirements. Where a license has not yet been purchased, ESM can advise on its configuration and scope before work begins.
FAQ
Can the work be done remotely?
Yes. Most projects run remotely with access to the client's license. On-site visits are available for training and key project milestones.
Which time zone does ESM work in?
UTC+5, with working hours that overlap with Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
How is confidentiality handled?
All work is covered by an NDA. Client data stays within the client's infrastructure unless agreed otherwise.
Does ESM work as a subcontractor?
Yes. Delivering the modeling workstream for consulting firms, to their methodology and reporting standards, is one of the core engagement models.
What is needed for an initial assessment?
A brief project description, the timeline and a list of available data. A scope and effort estimate follows a short call.
About
ESM (Energy Systems Modeling) is an independent practice specializing in power system and electricity market modeling.
Ruslan Dosmaiyl, Founder. More than five years of hands-on PLEXOS experience and full PLEXOS certification. The first professional PLEXOS user in Kazakhstan.
Built Kazakhstan's national power system model from the ground up. The model became the basis for long-term capacity expansion planning carried out with international consultants. His track record covers capacity expansion planning, price and dispatch forecasting, system-level feasibility of new gas, coal and transmission projects, BESS sizing for gigawatt-scale wind and solar projects, and scenario analysis of power system development.