Which is the best power system study software? Is it ETAP or SKM Tools?

Hi Buster, you showed up here just on time! I need to have a new corporate website developed and your idea of AMC contract is just wonderful! I'll talk to the guys, hope that will save me some money.

Any software is important. But the most precious is the one that was custom developed, I suppose. If you need this, you can ask https://it-support.ae/amc-support/ to do this for you. That is the company that was recommended to me by my colleague in Dubai earlier this year. So just talk to them about the kind of software you need.

I just saw this old post and wanted to chime in...  I have been doing system analysis for the past 25 years and have used many tools. By far, ETAP is a very powerful piece of software and very user-friendly. In my opinon ETAP has the best customer service and technical support (I have used them around the world) which is what you should expect from such analysis software company.

I have used SKM, CYME, Easypower, DigSilent and they are either limited in functionalities and/or too complex and cumbersome to use.

I suggest you try ETAP and see for yourself. 

Ash

Power systems analysis and simulation software are ubiquitous in electrical engineering practice. Initially, they were used to quickly solve the non-linear load flow problem and calculate short circuit currents, but their use has been extended to many other areas such as power system stability, protection and coordination, contingency / reliability, economic modelling, etc.

ETAP

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Irvine, California, ETAP is a company specialising in electrical power system modeling, design, analysis, optimization, and predictive real-time solutions. To date, more than 50,000 licenses of the Company’s ETAP and ETAP Real-Time products have been used in generation, transmission, distribution, and industrial power system projects around the world.

Functions include arc flash analysis, load flow analysis, short circuit analysis, motor starting, OPF, transient stability analysis, generator start-up, parameter estimation, cable sizing, transformer tap optimization, reliability assessment, transmission line constant calculations, harmonic analysis, protection coordination, dc load flow, battery discharge and sizing, earth grid design, cable pulling, and GIS map integration..

SKM (Power*Tools for Windows)

SKM Systems Analysis are a California-based corporation that develop Power*Tools for Windows (PTW), an integrated suite of power systems analysis tools aimed at industrial systems. The original software, called DAPPER, was first released in 1978, though the initial version of PTW wasn't released until 1995.

Functions include load flow, short circuit, demand load analysis, OPF, load schedules, feeder and transformer sizing, protection coordination (CAPTOR), arc flash analysis, transient motor starting (TMS), harmonic analysis (HI_WAVE), transient stability (I*SIM), distribution reliability, earth grid design (GroundMat), dc load flow and short circuit analysis, battery sizing, cable pulling analysis and equipment evaluation.