Power Systems Modelling

High-quality modelling is the foundation for effective power system control, planning and market design. The net zero transition is challenging the assumptions which previously enabled simplified and siloed approaches. At the same time, opportunities are created by the new availability of high-speed and granular system monitoring from customer smart meters, phasor measurement units, and market data platforms.

Our work combines rigorous analytics with the latest computational tools to deliver open models for researchers, industry, and policymakers. Central to our approach is taking seriously the coupling between spatial scales (from local feeders to national transmission), temporal scales (from second-to-second balancing to multi-year network planning), and the interactions between power grid physics, electricity market rules, and strategic decision-making by diverse system actors.

To help advance interdisciplinary research and industry–academic–government collaboration in this area, Prof. Morstyn is co-chairing the IEEE Task Force on Systems Modelling for Electricity Market Design.

Key Research Streams

GPU-accelerated Power Flow Simulation: We proposed and developed a nonlinear AC power flow solver implemented in JAX, enabling large-scale parallel scenario analysis and data generation for machine learning (Zhou et al., 2026).

High-fidelity Great Britain (GB) Transmission Network and Balancing Mechanism Modelling: We have developed an open-source 1900-node model of GB’s transmission network combining data from NESO’s Electricity Ten-Year Statement with unit-level market data from Elexon. This has been used to investigate the impact of grid energy storage on balancing costs and carbon emissions (Nosratabadi et al., 2024), the value of locational adjustments for renewable contracts-for-difference (Savelli et al., 2022), and the value of electric vehicle smart charging for alleviating transmission and distribution network reinforcements (Crozier et al., 2020).

Open-source Software for Local Energy System Modelling: We developed OPLEM, an open-source software platform for local energy market modelling and design (Essayeh & Morstyn, 2023). OPLEM builds upon the OPEN smart local energy system modelling platform, which was developed in collaboration with Professor Malcolm McCulloch (Morstyn et al., 2020).

Grid-Edge Device Modelling and Data: We have developed a dataset for GB primary distribution substations linked with household heating demand (Zhou et al., 2024). The Home Energy Data Generator (HEDGE) tool provides GAN-based synthetic data generation for residential energy demand and grid-edge device flexibility (Charbonnier et al., 2024). HEDGE was developed with Dr Flora Charbonnier and Professor Malcolm McCulloch.

References

2026

arXiv

JAX-Based Batched AC Power Flow for GPU Acceleration and AI Ecosystem Integration

Yihong Zhou, Dylan Cope, Jakob Foerster, and 1 more author

arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.14103, 2026

arXiv Bib

@article{zhou2025jax,
  title = {JAX-Based Batched AC Power Flow for GPU Acceleration and AI Ecosystem Integration},
  author = {Zhou, Yihong and Cope, Dylan and Foerster, Jakob and Morstyn, Thomas},
  journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.14103},
  year = {2026},
}

2024

arXiv

The Impact of Grid Storage on Balancing Costs and Carbon Emissions in Great Britain

Seyyed Mostafa Nosratabadi, Iacopo Savelli, Volkan Kumtepeli, and 4 more authors

arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.07740, 2024

Bib

@article{nosratabadi2024impact,
  title = {The Impact of Grid Storage on Balancing Costs and Carbon Emissions in Great Britain},
  author = {Nosratabadi, Seyyed Mostafa and Savelli, Iacopo and Kumtepeli, Volkan and Grunewald, Phil and Aunedi, Marko and Howey, David A and Morstyn, Thomas},
  journal = {arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.07740},
  year = {2024},
}

Data Brief

Datasets of Great Britain primary substations integrated with household heating information

Yihong Zhou, Chaimaa Essayeh, and Thomas Morstyn

Data in brief, 2024

DOI Bib

@article{zhou2024datasets,
  title = {Datasets of Great Britain primary substations integrated with household heating information},
  author = {Zhou, Yihong and Essayeh, Chaimaa and Morstyn, Thomas},
  journal = {Data in brief},
  volume = {54},
  pages = {110483},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  doi = {10.1016/j.dib.2024.110483},
}

MethodsX

Home electricity data generator (HEDGE): An open-access tool for the generation of electric vehicle, residential demand, and PV generation profiles

Flora Charbonnier, Thomas Morstyn, and Malcolm McCulloch

MethodsX, 2024

DOI Bib

@article{charbonnier2024home,
  title = {Home electricity data generator (HEDGE): An open-access tool for the generation of electric vehicle, residential demand, and PV generation profiles},
  author = {Charbonnier, Flora and Morstyn, Thomas and McCulloch, Malcolm},
  journal = {MethodsX},
  volume = {12},
  pages = {102618},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  doi = {10.2139/ssrn.4627733},
}

2023

Appl. Energy

Optimal sizing for microgrids integrating distributed flexibility with the Perth West smart city as a case study

Chaimaa Essayeh and Thomas Morstyn

Applied Energy, 2023

DOI Bib

@article{essayeh2023optimal,
  title = {Optimal sizing for microgrids integrating distributed flexibility with the Perth West smart city as a case study},
  author = {Essayeh, Chaimaa and Morstyn, Thomas},
  journal = {Applied Energy},
  volume = {336},
  pages = {120846},
  year = {2023},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  doi = {10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.120846},
}

2022

Energy Econ.

Putting wind and solar in their place: Internalising congestion and other system-wide costs with enhanced contracts for difference in Great Britain

Iacopo Savelli, Jeffrey Hardy, Cameron Hepburn, and 1 more author

Energy Economics, 2022

DOI Bib

@article{savelli2022putting,
  title = {Putting wind and solar in their place: Internalising congestion and other system-wide costs with enhanced contracts for difference in Great Britain},
  author = {Savelli, Iacopo and Hardy, Jeffrey and Hepburn, Cameron and Morstyn, Thomas},
  journal = {Energy Economics},
  volume = {113},
  pages = {106218},
  year = {2022},
  publisher = {North-Holland},
  doi = {10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106218},
}

2020

Appl. Energy

The opportunity for smart charging to mitigate the impact of electric vehicles on transmission and distribution systems

Constance Crozier, Thomas Morstyn, and Malcolm McCulloch

Applied Energy, 2020

DOI Bib

@article{crozier2020opportunity,
  title = {The opportunity for smart charging to mitigate the impact of electric vehicles on transmission and distribution systems},
  author = {Crozier, Constance and Morstyn, Thomas and McCulloch, Malcolm},
  journal = {Applied Energy},
  volume = {268},
  pages = {114973},
  year = {2020},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  doi = {10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114973},
}

Appl. Energy

OPEN: An open-source platform for developing smart local energy system applications

Thomas Morstyn, Katherine A Collett, Avinash Vijay, and 5 more authors

Applied Energy, 2020

DOI Bib

@article{morstyn2020open,
  title = {OPEN: An open-source platform for developing smart local energy system applications},
  author = {Morstyn, Thomas and Collett, Katherine A and Vijay, Avinash and Deakin, Matthew and Wheeler, Scot and Bhagavathy, Sivapriya M and Fele, Filiberto and McCulloch, Malcolm D},
  journal = {Applied Energy},
  volume = {275},
  pages = {115397},
  year = {2020},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  doi = {10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115397},
}