Set-Up of a Dynamic Multi-Purpose Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop System for New Technologies Integration

Future requirements on the energy system give rise to a strong increase of complexity in the electricity grid. This successively prohibits the unreflected incorporation and also testing of new equipment in the grid as well as uninformed changes to its structure. A solution to this challenge is to establish a (laboratory) environment to gain realistic and reliable insights. A viable option constitutes a Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop environment providing real-time simulation and system integration facilities. The successful set-up of a medium power level (30 kVA) Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop laboratory, which represents one of the most flexible and dynamic set-ups of its kind, is described. The requirements on components are detailed and the commissioning of the system is outlined. First results for the integration of new power hardware into the grid obtained with the system are presented.