Network maintenance operations performed by DSOs regularly require the temporary shutdown of secondary substations. Generator sets (gensets) are commonly deployed during these operations to ensure power continuity. Genset capacity is usually determined with simplified models that often result in oversized gensets and, as a consequence, higher costs and carbon emissions. To optimise genset sizing during maintenance, the French DSO Enedis developed the PRODiGE tool.
The tool processes network topology, configuration and smart meter data as well as seasonal consumption trends to model load profiles at secondary substations over the timeframe of interest. Then, by leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms, PRODiGE optimises genset capacity calculations. After three years of experimentation, the tool has been deployed nationally since 2025 and has allowed for significant cost savings, environmental footprint reduction and efficiency gains.
