Comparison of Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Approaches for the Testing of Smart Grid Controls

The fundamental changes in the energy sector, due to the rise of renewable energy resources and the possibilities of the digitalisation process, result in the demand for new methodologies for testing Smart Grid concepts and control strategies. Using the Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) methodology is one of the key elements for such evaluations. PHIL and other in-the-loop concepts cannot be considered as plug’n’play and, for a wider adoption, the obstacles have to be reduced. This paper presents the comparison of two different setups for the evaluation of components and systems focused on undisturbed operational conditions. The first setup is a conventional PHIL setup and the second is a simplified setup based on a quasi-dynamic PHIL (QDPHIL) approach which involves fast and continuously steady state load flow calculations. A case study which analyses a simple superimposed voltage control algorithm gives an example for the actual usage of the quasi-dynamic setup. Furthermore, this article also provides a comparison and discussion of the achieved results with the two setups and it concludes with an outlook about further research

How to Optimise the Over Production of PV Electricity into the Grid with the Implementation of ICT Devices - The OrPHEuS Project

The OrPHEuS project elaborates hybrid energy network control strategies for smart cities implementing novel cooperative approach for the optimal interactions between multiple energy grids. The OrPHEuS project aims at optimising the synergies between multiple energy grids by enabling simultaneous optimization for individual response requirements, energy efficiencies and energy savings as well as coupled operational, economic and social impacts. The project will investigate the implementation of the control strategies on specific use cases scenario in two demonstration sites located in the City of Skellefteå in Sweden and in the City of Ulm in Germany. The operational focus of the project is the cross-domain coupling of energy infrastructures in order to increase energy efficiency through energy transformation and grid coupling. In particular, the project researches scenarios for transition between energy resources and flexible infrastructures e.g. along Power-to-Heat processes. It investigates the balancing of fluctuating renewable energy generation against the flexibility in supply, demand and storage capacities within the power grid and via process coupling across energy networks. The project will look on technical as well as socio-economical aspects considered as multi-dimensional strategy framework. With respect to the hybrid energy characteristics, both demonstration sites are quite distinct. At the demonstration site in Sweden, the reduction of vertical production (driven unsustainable with fossil fuel) is in the centre of the targeted control strategies. Looking on the specifics of the Ulm testing site, the major issue is the balancing of the high penetration of solar generation under today’s operation with a pre-dominant operational challenge for PV control. The key focus is to define control strategies to increase the intake of the energy supply from PV on the roof generation into the grid while maximizing the benefits for the low voltage power grid. The 29th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) in Amsterdam represented a unique opportunity to present information on the methodology adopted by the OrPHEuS Consortium to optimise the synergies between multiple energy grids. On the occasion of the EU PVSEC the OrPHEuS Consortium focused the project presentation on how to optimise the PV electricity production with the implementation of Information and Communication (ICT) devices at the Ulm demonstration site, the Test area in Einsingen, which presents an over production of the PV electricity of 230 MWh annually. The average annual electrical consumption is around 1000 MWh