Ample® Platform
Maximize the value of your grid modernization efforts
Ample is the central software platform for Sentient Energy’s grid analytics solutions. Ample enables utilities to maximize the value from their line sensor and VAR compensator deployments by providing device fleet management, data integration, and grid monitoring capabilities.
Ample is the software component of Sentient Energy’s grid modernization solutions including advanced analytics, line sensing and VAR compensation. The solutions help utilities improve reliability, planning, protection and power quality. They also increase energy savings and DER hosting.
Ample Platform Features
Deployment Versatility
Ample supports a flexible architecture that allows utilities to run some components in the cloud, such as analytics modules, while securely integrating sensor data with on-premises OT systems. This allows Operations teams to have greater system visibility through SCADA/OMS/DMS they may currently use, while supporting Analytics teams to work on outage prediction and other advanced analytics applications with the benefit of scalable cloud resources.
High Availability
Ample’s new container-based architecture means its applications and services are self-healing and can be configured to run in parallel on multiple instances for redundancy. Ample also supports Disaster Recovery by configuring the solution to run in an AWS distributed cloud computing network that includes servers in different physical locations. In addition, upgrades to the Ample Sensor Gateway can now be applied with zero downtime.
Advanced Security
With a zero-trust authorization security framework, data between line sensors, VAR compensators and Ample is secured with mutually authenticated Transport Layer Security (TLS) supported by a fully managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Ample uses encryption for data at rest and in transit between software services, and all software deployments managed by Sentient Energy are SOC2 compliant.
Applications
Device Fleet Management
Ample provides sensor and VAR compensator fleet management to commission, configure, and over-the-air update 50,000+ Sentient Energy devices from one centralized application. It also features Auto-Phase ID, capable of correctly phasing an entire deployment of sensors with only a few references.
Grid Monitoring
Ample provides visualization of distribution system data through a set of intuitive user screens. Fault location data reduces fault finding time while load current data supports capacity planning and identification of overloaded assets. Oscillography data (waveforms) improve sequence of event reports and grid edge voltage data help to manage power quality.
Data Integration
Ample features an integration gateway, which allows data from sensors and VAR compensators to become visible in SCADA systems, historians, and data lakes. Utilities can also integrate Ample with cloud-based analytics applications to tackle more complex grid challenges like predicting outages and harmonics.
