Our development team has a long-term track record of providing industry software based upon best practice analysis and RAM metrics (Reliability, Availability and Maintainability) for the conventional power market. Our team is finalizing software that will be available to the wind industry during the 1st quarter of 2017.

The result is the GADS/OS Wind - setting a new standard in Wind Industry GADS data collection, analysis and reporting.

GADS/OS Wind allows you to collect and report validated data as specified in the GADS Wind Turbine Generation (GADS‐W) ‐ Data Reporting Instructions (DRI) Version: 1.2 (Revision Date: 09/30/2016 - Effective Date: 01/01/2017). The NERC DRI was developed to assist plant personnel in reporting information to NERC’s GADS Wind Reporting application. The instructions detail the procedures, schedule, and format to follow when reporting data. Our GADS/OS Wind software complies with the latest requirements.

If you have existing software to collect GADS wind data, now is the time to ensure that it complies with DRI Version: 1.2 (Revision Date: 09/30/2016 - Effective Date: 01/01/2017).

The delivery date is driven by the NERC staff's completion of the Wind DRI and the NERC web application that data will be uploaded to. NERC’s go-live date for their Wind software data upload process and implementation target is the end of January 2017. Afterwards, our team will be given access to test our software against the NERC upload process and to make any changes required.

As a result of the testing on both sides, there will not be an update of the NERC Wind DRI until Q2 2017 which may require that our GADS/OS Wind software be updated again to meet any new or additional requirements.

Our goal is to release a completely tested application that meets NERC's requirements and minimizes the impact on our users -- we do the testing; not our users.

Docket Nos. RM15-25-000, RM15-4-000, RM15-9-000, and RM15-8-000

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 17, 2015 proposed to require the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to provide the Commission with access to NERC’s transmission availability data system, generating availability data system (GADS) and protection system misoperations databases.

The proposed access would be limited to data regarding U.S. facilities only and would not require NERC to collect any additional data. The intent is to inform FERC more quickly, directly and comprehensively about reliability trends or reliability gaps that might require development of new or modified Reliability Standards. Access to the databases also would provide FERC with more information to better understand the reliability and adequacy assessments periodically submitted by NERC.

Comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) are due 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

There have been no major updates/releases yet for 2015.  Once the NERC GADS Working Group finalizes the cause code list for 2015, we’ll have an update announcement; otherwise, there have been no changes in either code or NERC GADS requirements to warrant a new release at this time.

The 15.x.x.x release will require Microsoft .Net Framework 4.5.2. (The first number in the version is the release year so 15.x.x.x is a 2015 release)

GADS OS prior to Version 15.01.01.00 is based on Framework 3.5 SP1 that was released on 08/11/2008. There will no longer be Microsoft mainstream support for the Framework 3.5 SP1 version after January 13, 2015 (service pack support end date: 04/09/2013) … i.e., no longer supported on this date.

Microsoft recommends that customers and developers using .NET Framework 4, 4.5, or 4.5.1 complete the in-place update to .NET Framework 4.5.2 before January 12, 2016 to continue receiving technical support and more importantly security updates.

Framework 4.5.2 was released on 05/05/2014 and is released for the following supported platforms: Windows 8/8.1, Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows Vista SP2, plus Windows Server 2012/2012 R2, and Windows Server 2008 SP2/2008 R2 SP1.

There are no significant code changes in going from 14.x.x.x to 15.x.x.x; just compiler changes required to target Framework 4.5.2.