MATPOWER

MATPOWER is an open-source software package for power system simulations, providing tools to solve AC and DC power flow problems and optimal power flow (OPF) problems for electric power networks. Implemented in MATLAB and compatible with Octave, it is designed for research and teaching, offering a compact, well-documented API and a data model that represents buses, generators, branches, and loads.

Core capabilities include: AC power flow using Newton-Raphson methods, DC power flow approximations, and AC optimal power flow with various objective functions (e.g., generation cost minimization) and constraints. The package focuses on approachable experimentation and method development, rather than production-grade reliability.

Data model and case format: MATPOWER uses a case structure (mpc) that encodes bus, generator, branch, and generator cost data. Case files are provided in the MATPOWER Case Format, with standard IEEE test systems such as case9, case14, case30, case118, etc., serving as common benchmarks.

Solver interface and algorithms: MATPOWER ships with functions such as runpf for AC/DC power flow and runopf for optimal power flow. It relies on MATLAB/Octave solvers and can interoperate with external solvers for enhanced performance. It also supports generator type classifications (PV, PQ, slack) and contingency analysis.

Availability and community: as an open-source project hosted on GitHub, MATPOWER has an active user community and extensive documentation, tutorials, and example scripts. It is widely used in undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as in academic research to compare OPF algorithms and study network behavior.

Limitations: while versatile for academic use, MATPOWER is not intended as a production-grade system solver and may not scale to very large networks without customization. It is continuously maintained by researchers and contributors.