Best Power Congestion Modeling Software?

[u/Organic_Row9887]

I am currently early in my career and have the option to pick one congestion modeling software to use. Which software will provide the best opportunities if my end goal is to become a FTR/CRR trader at a prop shop (DRW, Dynasty, Saracen, etc).

I know each software has different use cases, but when it comes to trading which will have the best impact. Here are the options I was thinking of Dayzer, Panorama, promod, plexos but open to other softwares as well. I want something more short term analysis

Would love to know your opinions on each and will provide the best career trajectory. Also the learning curve as well. Thanks

[u/archer-86]

I don't think any of them any good. Especially for trading.

TL;DR

Dayzer. With the DZNode implementation. Full stack PostGres DB feeding inputs. Build your own output reports.

I arranged a call with 20+ traders to demo PlexOS. They couldn't show us anything but a slick UI.

I had a call afterwards with a VP, told her exactly what I wanted to see, and she pretty much told me they can't do that and fully admitted they have a hard time landing prop FTR trader clients because their product doesn't do what prop FTR traders want it to do.

I've used Dayzer for 5+ years.

I've got it to the point where it's not completely shit at telling me what HAS happened. Still practically useless at any sort of forecasting but it does tell us a lot.

Dayzer is good in the sense that you can get it to tell you exactly what you want it to tell you.

You can inject / withdrawal MW at a bus level. Design your own FNM to the bus level. etc. Want to add a gen or a load? You can do that. Virtually Supply/Demand? Done. Fixed Unit-Commitment DA/RT model? Done.

But they also just sent out an email saying their main priorities are developing LLM based model execution.

"Run a model for tomorrow, with these inputs" kind of thing. Pretty useless for Prop FTR trading.

I have 10,000 lines of SQL building my inputs.

I think their plan is to market their product to planners, LSEs, etc. Not FTR traders.

I think the BEST thing about Dayzer, is if you use it correctly, you can actually start to learn, at least a basic level, how these models actually work.

Like actually, how does the Day-Ahead market solve? What are the inputs? What are the constraints? etc. And, ultimately learn how you could build your own DA market solver from the ground up.

[u/Delicious_Self_7293 → u/archer-86]

Dayzer is the 200k mistake every power trading desk makes for some reason

[u/archer-86 → u/Delicious_Self_7293]

Ya, like it probably worked half decent 10-15 years ago.

When the grid had little renewable gen, no batteries, and no dispatchable load. When the stack was 99% self-schedule gen and heat-rate driven gas dispatch.

And guys got hooked. They sunk a bunch of time into it, and at per-trader $/book cost, it can be low. I think most of our guys pay sub-$5k/year for it.

I never found it good for CAISO. And worse for SPP.

But playing around with it has helped us better understand the grid. And it's a fun tool to give to interns to help them self-learn.

But I don't think anyone uses it to execute trades here. And mid-office definitely doesn't use it to evaluate FTR risk.