Built by grid planners, for grid planners: The origin of PlanOS

Built from necessity

Our software wasn’t born in a boardroom—it was born on the power system.

In the 1960s, our engineers faced an industry-wide challenge: the tools they needed to understand and operate complex electric grids didn’t exist. So, they built them to solve real problems.

The first load flow and stability programs were developed to investigate why a massive generator had twisted like a pretzel. The root cause wasn’t equipment issues, but the intricate dynamics of faults on long transmission lines. These early simulations not only demonstrated the soundness of our technology but also directly led to the development of protective solutions that would shield generators from similar events in the future.

Modeling to improve performance and support planning

From these early breakthroughs, our engineers expanded their toolkit to include single-area production simulation and generation reliability models. The goal: to rigorously evaluate the performance of our equipment under realistic system conditions.

These models helped enable planners to understand the operational value of reduced forced outage rates and to assess how new generation would affect overall system behavior. As power systems grew more complex and computing power increased, the models evolved to consider transmission constraints, enabling planners to assess the impact of generator siting and transmission expansion on regional system reliability.

Paving the way for renewables

In the early 2000s, as wind and solar entered the energy sector, concerns emerged about grid stability. Could the system handle the variability of hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy?

Using our models, planners were able to show that up to 10% of system capacity could be integrated from wind without compromising reliability, a key insight that helped open the door to broader renewable adoption. That threshold has grown steadily over the decades since, and modeling has evolved alongside it to support increasingly complex and variable generation portfolios.

From internal tools to shared utility resources

We didn’t set out to sell this grid planning software. However, as utilities began requesting access to our tools, we responded. First by offering them through our Mark* III time-share system in the early 1970s, and later by supporting installations on in-house minicomputers like VAX and Prime.

Licensing emerged organically as utilities expressed interest in using the tools our engineers had created. Sharing the software was a natural extension of our technical collaboration, allowing utilities to benefit from the same models we used internally. More importantly, it enabled close collaboration with system planners across the industry, helping us refine and evolve the tools based on real-world challenges, not product roadmaps. Each enhancement was shaped by the practical needs of the grid and the collective insight of the planning community we served.

From regional roots to a global network

Some of our earliest and most formative collaborations were with utilities in New York State, the New York Power Pool (founded in 1969), and later the New York ISO (founded in 2000). These pioneering collaborations helped shape the foundation of our modeling framework. The first multi-area production simulation we developed modeled 11 interconnected areas across New York—work that later expanded into PJM to analyze loop-flow dynamics and support the sizing of phase angle regulators (PARs) along the NY–PJM border. In parallel, we worked closely with utilities in New England, performing tie-benefit studies between regions using MARS* and its predecessors since the early 1970s.

While the Northeast laid our foundation, our reach has grown dramatically. Today, we collaborate with utilities, system operators, and researchers worldwide, supporting a broad spectrum of planning challenges—from long-term capacity expansion and renewable integration to operational modeling and transmission coordination. The tools we once developed to address local problems now support global energy transition efforts.

The next chapter: PlanOS

What began as a set of internal engineering tools has evolved into an industry-standard platform, proven through decades of real-world application, stress-tested through collaboration, and continually adapted to meet the changing needs of the grid.

Today, GE Vernova's PlanOS* represents the next step in that legacy. It brings together the depth of our modeling expertise, insights from the industry, and the demands of a changing energy landscape. Purpose-built. Field-proven. Developed by planners, for planners—just like it’s always been.

Want to learn more about PlanOS and its many capabilities? Read Building trust in tomorrow’s system adequacy: How PlanOS empowers confident Integrated System Planning for a deeper dive.