IAV Optera

IAV Optera is a software for automated grid-planning of medium voltage distribution systems With IAV Optera you can quickly design high-performance power grid at optimized overall costs. The software takes into account the existing assets and proposes extension and re-structuring measures (Brownfield planning). It is also possible to carry out a Greenfield planning, in which all new grid assets are laid out independently of the historically emerged structure. No matter which type of planning you are conducting: IAV Opteras high degree of automation allows for a very efficient planning process and relieves your employees from repetitive tasks – without making them obsolete.

IAV Optera designs and assesses structural and topological changes in your grid and provides you with a preview of possible ways in which the distribution system for your supplied region may develop. While conventional computation software only support you with an assessment of the current grid state and manually performed countermeasures, IAV Optera is able to plan and assess the required grid extension projects on its own.

Several high-performance algorithm work together during the planning of distribution systems with IAV Optera. First, a modified ant-algorithm creates grid design variants optimized for lowest overall costs. A second algorithm computes the power flow in all variants and sorts out all designs that do not match safety or electro technical standards. The iterative interaction of these algorithms yields power grid designs with ever increasing performance at minimum costs.

IAV Optera is operated right away from any computer workstation via a secured web-frontend. No on-premises installation or integration into your IT-backend is required, as IAV Optera runs on IAVs own servers in Germany as Software-as-a-Service. You can use IAV Optera via API interface and establish a link to your system landscape.

To use IAV Optera, all you need is a standard PC and Laptop with customary technical specification, as well as a proper connection to the Internet. The actual grid-planning is carried out on the IAV server. Therefor, the expected duration of your grid study is not limited by or depending on your available hardware. In addition, neither your hardware, nor your personnel are bound while the process is running.

The data required depends on the type of planning you would like to carry out and on which features you want to use.

For Greenfield-Planning IAV Optera requires the following information:

• 20kV- and 400 kV-substations (location, nominal voltage, capacity) and
• Your general planning framework

For Brownfield-Optimization or for an analysis of the actual grid IAV Optera requires the following information:

• 20kV- and 400 kV-substations (location, nominal voltage, capacity)
• Grid loads (Load types and rated loads,)
• Actual lines (Start- and termination point, length, route, costs, electrically rated values)
• The scenarios to be executed (load cases and scaling factors) and
• Your general planning framework

The data can be supplied either in JSON or in a csv- or xlsx-Format. This can be done by a simple export from your in-house IT-systems. If necessary, we can also develop special interfaces custom-tailored to your systems for a convenient data transfer.

Upon signing-up, you will be granted a password-protected access to the IAV Optera web-Frontend. There you have the possibility to upload the required data to the IAV server. The transfer will be encrypted. Once on the server, your data will be stored fully separated from all other users – none other than you will have access to your data.

The data will be uploaded to and stored on the IAV server for the sole purpose of carrying out your grid-planning projects. Any longer-term storage is not intended and will not happen – this will be guaranteed legally binding in our mutual license contract.
As a major Engineering-Partner within the global automotive industry, the confidentiality of data entrusted to us plays a key role in all our business activities. Hence, IAV is certified both according to ISO/IEC 27001:2013 as well as to TISAX (VDA ISA) and has implemented and established corresponding management systems to ascertain the confidentiality, availability and integrity of your data at all times.

IAV Optera was developed to relieve your grid-planning experts from repetitive tasks. However, their expertise will still be required, even when using IAV Optera – for example to assess the results and to make manual modifications as they see fit. IAV Optera will therefor not replace your grid-planning professionals, but support them to carry out even better grid-planning projects in less time in a modern and easy-to-master working environment.