These tools model electrical power networks for buildings, campuses, villages, microgrids and utility distribution systems. They are intended for electrical power engineering, not electronic circuit design.
| Software
|
Best suited for
|
Main capabilities
|
Integration
|
Graphical interface
|
Licence
|
Similarity to EPANET
|
| OpenDSS
|
Village grids, microgrids, low-voltage and medium-voltage distribution networks
|
Unbalanced multi-phase power flow, time-series simulation, lines, transformers, loads, switches, photovoltaic systems, batteries, capacitors and voltage regulators
|
DSS scripts and external simulation interfaces
|
No complete EPANET-style graphical editor in the core project
|
BSD-style EPRI licence
|
Very high
|
| Power Grid Model
|
Native C++ applications and distribution-grid calculations
|
Symmetric and asymmetric power flow, state estimation, short-circuit calculations and batch calculations
|
C++ core, C API and Python API
|
No complete built-in graphical network editor
|
MPL 2.0
|
High
|
| pandapower
|
Rapid development and electrical-network analysis in Python
|
Power flow, optimal power flow, state estimation, short-circuit calculations, topology analysis and time-series simulation
|
Python library with table-based network models
|
Plotting and third-party graphical interfaces are available
|
BSD 3-Clause
|
High
|
| GridLAB-D
|
Detailed simulation of buildings, consumers and smart grids
|
Distribution power flow, household loads, appliances, heating, electric vehicles, photovoltaic systems, batteries, tariffs and demand response
|
Native simulation engine with its own model format
|
No simple EPANET-style desktop editor in the core project
|
LGPL 2.1
|
Medium to high
|
| PyPSA
|
Village microgrid planning, generation planning and storage optimisation
|
Economic dispatch, optimal power flow, storage optimisation, renewable-energy modelling and capacity-expansion planning
|
Python framework using mathematical optimisation solvers
|
Network plotting is available, but it is not primarily an interactive editor
|
MIT
|
Low for detailed wiring; high for planning
|
Recommendation
- Closest overall equivalent to EPANET: OpenDSS
- Best native solver candidate for a C++/Qt application: Power Grid Model
- Best for rapid Python-based development: pandapower
- Best for detailed building-to-grid simulation: GridLAB-D
- Best for photovoltaic, battery and generation planning: PyPSA
Approximate EPANET terminology mapping
| EPANET concept
|
Electrical equivalent
|
Explanation
|
| Junction
|
Bus or node
|
Electrical connection point at which lines, loads, generators or transformers meet
|
| Pipe
|
Cable or overhead line
|
Carries electrical current between buses
|
| Demand
|
Electrical load
|
Consumer of active and reactive electrical power
|
| Reservoir
|
External grid, slack bus or voltage source
|
Defines the reference voltage and balances power entering or leaving the network
|
| Tank
|
Battery or energy-storage system
|
Stores energy over time, although it is not mathematically identical to a water tank
|
| Pump
|
Transformer or power converter
|
Changes voltage level or actively transfers power
|
| Valve
|
Switch, circuit breaker, fuse or voltage regulator
|
Controls, disconnects or regulates a connection
|
| Pressure
|
Voltage
|
Electrical potential at a bus
|
| Flow rate
|
Current or active/reactive power
|
Quantity transported through a line
|
| Hydraulic simulation
|
Power-flow or load-flow calculation
|
Calculates bus voltages, line currents, power flows and equipment loading
|
