Multi level test infrastructure for evaluation of Smart Grid systems

• Subject Area: Electrical Energy Systems, Power Management, Power Electronics, Electrical Machines and Drives
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 514287783

A fundamental blueprint for a drastic reduction of CO2 emissions is the transformation of the energy system. By now, the operation of the electrical distribution grids has been restricted to the monitoring and control of the high-voltage grids and the HV/MV substations. In the medium and low-voltage grids, neither measurements nor active operational management actions were necessary. The introduction of decentralized renewable energy systems in combination with the usage of electricity for e-mobility and heat pumps is associated with a high simultaneity of grid load, which leads to an overload of existing distribution grids. An alternative and necessary complement to classical grid expansion measures is the development of smart grids as a basis for knowledge-based grid operation. The Smart Grids Research Group of the Ulm University of Applied Sciences has so far focused on the grid integration of a high share of solar power and the controllability of generation units and flexible loads in the Smart Grid Laboratory. The development of knowledge-based grid operation with a smart grid was based on the Smart Meter Infrastructure and classic grid control technology. Moreover, the transition of the energy system based on decentralized energy sources and local storage opens new possibilities for a secure energy supply by building an energy system with a cellular structure additionally to merely grid integration of those dynamic systems. The planned investments will help to extend the Smart Grid Laboratory of THU into a multi-level test environment for Smart Grid Systems, which aims at the development and step-by-step testing of the Smart Grid Infrastructure for the fundamental construction of cellular energy systems with a high share of decentralized units. The design of the multi-level test environment of Smart Grid Systems for the Smart Grid Laboratory of THU is based on three complementary levels: The extension at the simulation level includes the construction of a high-performance computing system for the simultaneous analysis of the electrical behavior and the communication and interaction of the components for the realistic evaluation of locally performed algorithms. The extension at the laboratory level includes the investment in a Smart Grid Operation Center and the enhancement of metering systems. This will raise the readiness level of smart grid components for their application in cellular energy systems. The field test represents the third level of the multi-level test environment. On the THU campus, the entire energy system will be extended by a micro-grid controller including black start capability, and test systems for bidirectional charging of e-vehicles will be integrated. In the Smart Grids test area Hittistetten, cellularly organized communication based on the 450 MHz communication network will be expanded and tested with the Smart Meter Infrastructure in three local grids.

• DFG Programme: Major Instrumentation Initiatives
• Major Instrumentation: Gateway-Administrationssystem ; Netzsynchronisationssteuerung ; Rechencluster ; Smart Grid Operation Platform
• Instrumentation Group: 2660 Netzmodelle und Modellanlagen ; 7030 Dedizierte, dezentrale Rechenanlagen, Prozeßrechner
• Applicant Institution: Technische Hochschule Ulm
• Leader: Professor Gerd Heilscher