Pearl Street Technologies
Pearl Street Technologies, founded in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, develops software solutions SUGAR™ and Interconnect™ to address interconnection bottlenecks in the power grid, processing over 180 GW of renewable energy projects and modeling more than 1000 generation and storage projects.
Company History
Pearl Street Technologies was founded in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company has since developed innovative software solutions aimed at addressing interconnection bottlenecks in the power grid. These solutions include SUGAR™ and Interconnect™, both designed to enhance efficiency and accuracy in grid management and project development.
Software Solutions: SUGAR™
SUGAR™ helps grid operators and utilities manage interconnection queue volumes by accelerating modeling and simulation studies. It leverages powerful circuit simulation methods initially developed to study billion-transistor electronic systems. SUGAR™ works with industry-standard data formats and files, integrating seamlessly into existing transmission planning workflows. This software offers industry-leading convergence robustness for steady-state analysis and can expedite time-consuming aspects of planning studies, particularly in building high-quality grid models. Additionally, SUGAR™ helps diagnose root causes of non-convergence for mitigation and supports various grid planning applications, including transmission expansion planning and extreme event analysis.
Software Solutions: Interconnect™
Interconnect™ is designed for project developers to provide scenario analysis and risk assessment for projects at any stage of the interconnection lifecycle. It includes features like on-demand injection capacity maps, automated model building, thermal analysis, constraint identification, mitigation determination, and cost allocation. Interconnect™ enables users to run customized interconnection studies on demand and helps M&A analysts with high-quality interconnection data for financial models. This software also assists in evaluating interconnection risk for M&A transactions and provides value to PPA brokers, offtakers, and capital providers.
Impact on Renewable Energy Projects
Pearl Street Technologies has processed over 180 GW of renewable energy projects and modeled more than 1000 generation and storage projects. Their software solutions aim to reduce engineering analysis time by up to 200x, significantly accelerating the process of interconnection studies and grid planning. By providing accurate and efficient tools for managing interconnection, the company supports the integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid.
Academic Foundations and Publications
SUGAR™ was initially developed at Carnegie Mellon University, leveraging advanced simulation methods used in studying electronic systems. The software has been published extensively in peer-reviewed conferences and journals, underscoring its academic rigor and industry relevance. These publications contribute to the credibility and validation of SUGAR™ as a robust tool for grid operators and utilities.