Kairos · Power system operation software
Operate high-renewable power systems with dispatch, unit commitment and network security in one model. Kairos represents active and reactive power to manage congestion, voltage limits and contingencies.
Iterative second-order cone programming for high computational performance and precise power-system representation.
Inside the model
Connect dispatch decisions to network conditions.
A least-cost schedule also has to work on the network. Kairos brings commitment and dispatch together with AC power flows, nodal voltages and the constraints that matter under contingencies.
Represent both together to see how generation, network loading and voltage support interact.
Assess dispatch and commitment against selected outages, including the loss of any single element, not only the intact network.
Kairos in action
See Kairos run a national grid through a winter morning.
An illustrative transmission grid with 418 substations and 647 circuits at 400 and 220 kV runs from 05:00 to 10:00 through two faults. Before each fault, Kairos starts gas units for voltage support and sets phase shifters so that no line exceeds its emergency rating. Afterwards it clears the remaining overloads and voltage violations within minutes.
Switch the demo to “Without Kairos” to replay the same morning under manual operation. Select Full screen for a closer look at the map, events and decisions.
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Illustrative scenario on a 400/220 kV network model. AC power flows are computed minute by minute for a predefined sequence of events and actions. Post-fault limits use a short-term emergency rating of 120% of the normal rating.
Selected Pharoes clients
Experience across energy, international development and public institutions, as a direct contractor or as a subcontractor.
Pharoes also works with private global renewable energy investors.
The operating challenge
When the least-cost schedule meets the real network.
Growing renewable output, distributed resources and changing flow patterns are pushing networks closer to their operating limits. Congestion moves across the system and voltage-support needs change from hour to hour.
An outage raises another question: can the remaining network still carry the schedule? Keeping extra thermal units online and curtailing renewable output adds margin, but at a high cost.
Kairos examines dispatch, commitment, voltage and contingencies in one optimisation, so operating teams can compare secure operating points with their cost in view.
Evaluate thermal loading alongside nodal voltages and reactive-power requirements.
Compare the intact system with selected contingencies to identify binding limits and the operating response they require.
Potential benefits depend on the characteristics of each network and are assessed through system-specific studies or proof-of-concept evaluations.
Built for real-world networks
Developed and validated on real utility networks.
Pharoes has developed and validated Kairos on real utility networks, including highly meshed 45 kV distribution systems.
Its iterative second-order cone programming formulation connects active and reactive power with voltage and flow constraints. It keeps the electrical representation inside the operating decision while maintaining high computational performance.
What the model brings together
Linearised AC power flows for transmission, second-order cone formulations for radial distribution and cyclic constraints for meshed networks.
Security constraints for the selected outages, including the loss of any single element, within the same optimisation.
Day-ahead and real-time studies, including intraday re-optimisation of unit commitment, with parallel cloud execution.
Validation information supplied by Pharoes. Solve times and accuracy for a given network depend on its size, the study horizon, the contingency set and solver settings.
Working with Kairos
From network data to actionable operating targets.
Build the study around your network, generation and demand. Kairos finds the operating point that respects security and operational constraints, and turns it into targets for the devices you control.
Represent the system you need to operate.
Bring network topology, equipment limits, measurements and forecasts into the model. Define voltage and loading limits alongside the operating horizon and the contingency set.
Thermal units keep their technical detail, so commitment and dispatch decisions reflect what each plant can actually do.
Segmented heat-rate curves, hot, warm and cold start-ups, ramp rates, minimum up and down times, and start-up fuel and emissions.
Optimise the network as a whole.
Instead of managing each device on its own, Kairos coordinates the resources that shape voltage and reactive power across the system.
Generator voltage setpoints, transformer tap changers, capacitor and reactor banks, STATCOMs and FACTS devices, batteries and renewable plants can all contribute to a secure, efficient operating point.
Co-optimise batteries and pumped storage with efficiency, power and energy limits, and demand response with user-defined shifting and costs.
Turn results into operating targets.
Kairos produces voltage targets and reactive-power dispatch for controlled devices, for implementation through SCADA/EMS and field devices. Frequent re-optimisation adapts the targets as conditions change.
Results include unit schedules and start-ups, line flows, nodal voltages, congestion costs, marginal costs, unserved energy and storage state of charge.
API access with JSON data exchange, structured CSV outputs and parallel execution on a secure cloud platform.
Operating decisions
Six connected capabilities for a more secure operating plan.
Use Kairos from routine schedules to outage conditions, with the economic and electrical detail that high-renewable systems need.
Security-constrained dispatch
Dispatch generation at least cost while respecting line ratings, voltage limits and the selected contingencies.
Security-constrained unit commitment
Decide which units run across the horizon, with transmission limits and contingency constraints in the same optimisation.
Coordinated voltage control
Set voltage targets and reactive-power dispatch for generators, transformers, compensation devices and batteries as one system.
Loss reduction
Identify operating points that reduce reactive-power flows and technical losses, improving network efficiency.
Renewable integration
Mitigate voltage-related constraints that limit hosting capacity and lead to curtailment, using assets already installed.
Congestion management
Identify constrained elements, compare redispatch alternatives and derive locational prices for active and reactive power.
Which operating constraint is driving your study?
Built for operational responsibilities
For system operators, utilities and market participants.
Transmission and distribution system operators
Assess congestion, voltage-support needs and dispatch security across normal conditions and selected contingencies, and derive operating targets for controllable devices.
Utilities and market participants
Examine commitment, dispatch, storage and demand-response questions with one representation of generation and network constraints, from day-ahead plans to intraday updates.
Your Kairos evaluation
Start with the decision your operating team needs to make.
You may be managing a congested corridor, scheduling generation for the next day or reviewing voltage conditions after a contingency. The starting point is the operating question — and the constraints that could change the answer.
- Define the operating conditions.Which demand, generation and network states need to be considered?
- Set the security requirements.Which contingencies, voltage bounds and loading limits matter?
- Compare the outcomes.How do dispatch, commitment, voltage targets and costs change across the alternatives?
Questions before a meeting
A clearer starting point for your evaluation.
What is the difference between security-constrained dispatch and unit commitment?
Security-constrained economic dispatch sets the output of available units at least cost within the network and security limits of the study. Security-constrained unit commitment also decides which units should be on or off over the horizon, taking start-ups, minimum run times and ramping into account.
Does Kairos represent reactive power and voltage?
Yes. Kairos models active and reactive power, nodal voltages and line thermal limits. It offers linearised AC power flows for transmission systems, second-order cone formulations for radial distribution networks and cyclic constraints for meshed networks.
Which devices and resources can Kairos coordinate?
Generator voltage setpoints, transformer tap changers, capacitor and reactor banks, STATCOMs and FACTS devices, battery systems and voltage support from renewable plants. Your study defines which of them are controllable on your network.
How does Kairos handle contingencies?
Kairos assesses operating conditions against a defined contingency set, including single-element outages, within the same optimisation. The result applies to the modelled conditions, limits and contingencies; broader resilience questions need an explicitly defined study scope.
Can Kairos support day-ahead and real-time operation?
Kairos is designed for day-ahead and real-time studies, including intraday re-optimisation of unit commitment. Solve time depends on network size, the study horizon, contingency coverage and solver settings, so a system-specific evaluation can examine both performance and modelling tolerances.
How is our network data protected?
Kairos runs on a cloud-based platform with IP filtering, AES-256 encryption and anonymisation protocols for sensitive data. Pharoes can discuss the data exchange and integration arrangements your organisation requires.
Talk to Pharoes
Let’s discuss your power system.
Tell us about your network, operating horizon and the alternatives you need to compare. We will follow up by email to arrange a focused conversation about Kairos.
Prefer to email directly?
info@pharoes.com
A short description of your organisation and study is enough to get started.