The dispatcher training simulator for Metropolitan Edison Company

The dispatcher training simulator (DTS) has become an important tool for Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed). As new sophisticated functions are being added to energy management systems (EMS), the need for dispatchers to be trained in using them in an environment similar to online is also continuously growing. Met-Ed purchased its DTS as a part of the present full graphics EMS. Met-Ed put in considerable effort in preparing its network model to meet the DTS training objectives and tune unit model parameters to achieve realistic simulation responses. The first formal DTS training session began in January, 1994. The main purpose of this paper is to present the real-life use of the DTS and the benefits realized from its use. Today, most electric utilities have DTS functionality, but this DTS functionality is not being widely used. The authors hope that the training experience presented in this paper will encourage other utilities to start using the DTS as part of their regular training. This paper discusses the DTS features, data preparation and training session experience.