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WECGridPlot

Overview

The WECGridPlot module provides visualization capabilities for WEC-Grid simulation results. It offers a unified plotting interface that works across PSS®E and PyPSA backends for time-series analysis, cross-platform comparisons, and network diagrams.

Core Plotting Functions

Basic Grid Component Plots

  • Bus Plots: Voltage magnitude, angle, and power injections
  • Generator Plots: Active/reactive power output and status
  • Load Plots: Consumption patterns and demand profiles
  • Line Plots: Thermal loading and transmission capacity

WEC-Specific Analysis

  • WEC Farm Performance: Individual farm power output over time
  • Grid Integration: WEC contribution to total system load
  • Connection Point Analysis: Voltage profiles at WEC farm buses

Cross-Platform Comparison

  • Backend Validation: Compare PSS®E vs PyPSA results side-by-side
  • Simulation Verification: Overlay plots to validate modeling accuracy

Quick Start

Basic Grid Plotting

from wecgrid import Engine

# Initialize and run simulation
engine = Engine()
engine.case("IEEE_14_bus.raw")
engine.load(["pypsa"])  # or ["psse"], or both
engine.simulate()

# Plot bus voltages
fig, ax = engine.plot.bus(software="pypsa", parameter="v_mag", bus=["Bus_1", "Bus_5"])

# Plot generator output
fig, ax = engine.plot.gen(software="psse", parameter="p", gen=["Gen_1", "Gen_2"])

# Plot line loading
fig, ax = engine.plot.line(software="pypsa", parameter="line_pct")

WEC Farm Analysis

# Comprehensive WEC analysis (creates 3-panel figure)
engine.plot.wec_analysis(farms=["North Coast Farm"], software="pypsa")

# Individual WEC farm power output
fig, ax = engine.plot.gen(software="pypsa", parameter="p", gen=["WEC_Farm_1"])

Cross-Platform Comparison

# Compare PSS®E vs PyPSA bus voltages
plotter = WECGridPlot(engine)
fig, ax = plotter.compare_modelers(
    grid_component="bus",
    name=["Bus_1", "Bus_5"],
    parameter="v_mag",
    # annotate=False,      # default: do not overlay metrics on figure
    print_metrics=True,    # print metrics to console
)

To get only the metrics DataFrame (and skip showing the figure):

metrics = plotter.compare_modelers(
    grid_component="bus",
    name=["Bus_1", "Bus_5"],
    parameter="v_mag",
    dataframe=True,        # return DataFrame, do not show plot
    print_metrics=False,   # optional: silence console output
)
print(metrics)

When comparing across backends, the plot can print and/or annotate per-component metrics. The function returns a DataFrame with columns:

  • component: Friendly component name
  • rmse: Root mean squared error
  • mae: Mean absolute error
  • max_abs_err: Maximum absolute error
  • mape_pct: Mean absolute percentage error (percent; PSSE as reference, zeros skipped)
  • nrmse_mean: RMSE normalized by mean absolute reference value
  • nrmse_range: RMSE normalized by reference range (max-min)
  • r: Pearson correlation coefficient
  • n: Number of aligned samples used

Network Diagrams

# Generate single-line diagram
fig, ax = engine.plot.sld(software="pypsa", figsize=(12, 8), show=True)

Available Parameters

Bus Parameters

  • v_mag: Voltage magnitude (pu)
  • angle_deg: Voltage angle (degrees)
  • p, q: Active/reactive power injection (pu)

Generator Parameters

  • p, q: Active/reactive power output (pu)

Load Parameters

  • p, q: Active/reactive power demand (pu)

Line Parameters

  • line_pct: Percent of thermal rating

Common Issues

Missing Time-Series Data

Problem: Empty plots or KeyError exceptions
Solution: Ensure engine.simulate() was called to populate time-series data

Component Not Found

Problem: Components not found in plotting requests
Solution: Check available component names in GridState DataFrames

Cross-Platform Comparison Issues

Problem: Time indices don't match between PSS®E and PyPSA
Solution: Ensure both backends use same engine.time.snapshots configuration

See Also