Unicorn Systems in the Energy Industry

ICT in the service of international energy markets

More than ten years of experience in Czech and European energy industries
Ready-made solutions for each player in the energy markets
Damas platform with unique configuration capabilities and minimal programming
Highly flexible systems tailored to your individual needs
Turnkey solutions delivered together with complex services and support throughout Europe
Exceptional experience with international integration projects and data exchange
Unique references from the biggest international projects
Largest pool of energy experts and know-how
Latest technologies and trends

ICT in the service of international energy markets

Unicorn Systems is one of the leading suppliers of information systems for the European energy industry. In the last ten years we have successfully implemented dozens of projects for energy companies in most European countries intended both for national energy markets and for the support of international cooperation. We have experience with software and hardware support of generation, trading and delivery of energies in liberalized markets, but also with technical solutions for the smooth operation of the European energy networks in real time. The unique know-how that we have acquired on our projects allows us to offer our customers from the energy sector the best solutions with an optimal ratio of price/performance.

Fig. 1 – Our solutions for energy market sector

All in one place

Unicorn Systems offers solutions for all areas of the energy business domain – for transmission and distribution system operators, for energy producers and traders, for administration and processing of metered data, to solve all kinds of analytic, optimization and prediction tasks, for real-time control or for management and maintenance of the energy networks assets (see Fig. 1).
Besides solutions that have been specially developed for the energy industry, Unicorn Systems of course offers standard solutions independent from business domains, such as Customer Relation Management (CRM) systems or applications facilitating collaboration within the company by creating portals for information sharing and document administration. We also provide complex services and solutions including system integration, custom development, operation and 1st line and 2nd line support processes. We can further ensure complete installation and hosting of the ICT infrastructure and even combine all these services as SaaS (Software as a Service) solution. We also organize training and provide expert consultations, both in information and communication technologies and beyond.

Damas – Solution for the future

The Damas platform is the primary product of Unicorn Systems for the energy industry. It is a revolutionary solution designed on the basis of our deep knowledge of energy markets and long-term experience in the field of custom software development. Damas is a robust enterprise platform ready to support any trading processes and a number of technical processes, particularly in the field of energy and utilities (see Fig.2).

2).

Fig. 2 – Damas Platform

The basic building blocks of the Damas platform are work with data in time series, a configurable computation core and a user interface, all completed with automated process management and other components. Thanks to its unique features, it fulfills the wish of any organization delivery of business applications without programming, much more quickly and efficiently compared to any other available solutions and platforms.

The Damas platform was originally designed and developed for the needs of transmission system operators – after success in the Czech and Slovak markets, Damas was successfully implemented in Serbia, Italy, Romania and other countries. However, today the capabilities of Damas reach much farther. A number of the specialized pre-configured business solutions for various segments of the energy market were built on the Damas platform – in addition to the Damas Energy solution designated for transmission systems and energy market operators, these solutions also include Damas Power for generation control, Damas Trade for energy traders, Damas Smart for metered data management and smart processing and Damas Optim for solving various analytical, optimization and prediction tasks. These solutions bring high added value to our customers by offering the readily usable standard modules that can, however, be adapted, modified and extended much more easily and with lower costs compared with other software products. The functions of individual solutions can also be combined without limitation. Moreover, Damas is generally applicable anywhere where the customer’s experts need to model, control or monitor processes directly, in real time, without the involvement of the supplier.

Smart Networks

The Space-Time Insight awareness system is an example of the solutions that make management and maintenance of the energy network assets easier. It allows the collection of data from many sources, their consequent merging and analysis, comparison and visualization using 3D satellite maps. For example, it provides situational overviews of the conditions of individual components of networks to their operators and other companies participating in management and maintenance. The solution also contains tools for analysis and visualization of changes in behavior of consumers resulting from electricity price variations. In combination with the ACM (Asset Condition Monitoring) system, we are even able to identify a need for repair or replacement before any failure occurs or, on the contrary, to postpone the maintenance of a component which is still in good condition, based on the analysis of the real-time operational data. This helps the energy system operators to find the best possible compromise between the limitations of the physical laws and the customer requirements, achieving smart operation with maximum reliability, security of supply and efficiency for all energy market participants.

Security of the European energy network

Unicorn Systems actively participates in the Energy Communication Platform (ECP) initiative taking place under the ENTSO-E association of European transmission system operators. It involves activities aimed toward the standardization of data communication in the energy industry reflecting the current European trends. The European energy markets are becoming more and more interconnected and, as a result, the demands for exchange of business and technical data among all market participants continues to grow. The ECP represents a modern, technologically open, decentralized communication platform developed to secure safe and reliable communication. ECP is available for free use in the European electricity system.

In cooperation with one of our partners (ELEKTROSYSTEM a.s.), we are ready to implement the RIS system – a full-scale SCADA/EMS solution for technical control of transmission or distribution networks. The RIS and ECP solutions were combined in the CTDS platform that is collects and analyzes the planned and real-time data on the condition of the interconnected electricity networks participating in the TSC safety initiative. Its purpose is to ensure reliability and security of electricity supply in the Central European region (see Fig. 4).

Fig. 4 – CTDS System

ICT Products

Besides the above mentioned solutions, we also provide these services in the ICT sector:

Consulting – We help our clients set up business processes and ICT environment so that ICT solutions support the business plans.
Integration – We create the communication bridge between business and IT. We provide solutions to business requests and integration of systems developed in ICT environment of the client.
Building Up – We design and implement large-scale information systems that meet the business requirements of the client and give the necessary support in their business.
Operation – We secure operation of information systems and the necessary supervision and management of ICT infrastructure, we ensure the availability of ICT functionality for users.
First Line Support – We provide effective and immediate assistance to users of information systems with solutions to known issues including the provision of alternatives, and ensure communication with the second line support in dealing with unfamiliar problems.
Second Line Support – We guarantee, with SLA, solutions to problems arising from the use of an information system which due to their difficulty are not addressed in the first line support, provide support to deal with new and non-standard operational tasks.
Infrastructure – We provide a comprehensive supply network and communication infrastructure, computer security, HW and SW components and tools including their introduction into routine operation.
Education – We provide standardized catalog training, we create custom courses and implement long-term targeted training programs.

References

ČEPS, a.s.
Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s.
Pražská energetika, a.s.
Elektrárny Opatovice, a.s.
EMS Elektromreža Srbije
Transelectrica – Romanian National Power Grid Company
Réseau de Transport d'Electricité (RTE)
National Grid plc
Elia System Operator SA
TenneT TSO B.V.
Terna S.p.A.
BritNed Development Ltd.
Transmission System Operator Security Cooperation (TSC)
SO-CDO UES Russian Power Grid
CASC.EU SA
Eirgrid plc
Verbund AG
Elektro - Slovenija, d.o.o. (ELES)
European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
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