Interconnecting Geographically Distributed Laboratories for Smart Grid Testing & Validation

Abstract

There is a convergence occurring between the energy demands of modern society and the sustainability requirements of the environment in which we live in. The combination of these factors is driving the development and implementation of an updated power system with integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). This calls for an update of the existing infrastructure, with an additional layer of advanced monitoring, control and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that is presently only beginning to be applied. With this introduction of ICT into the power system, a Cyber-Physical Energy System (CPES) is formed, that is multi-domain in nature. It encompasses interactions between the power system, communication as well as control and supervisory applications. Thus, the CPES is greater in scale and complexity, in comparison to the traditional electrical power grid. As a result, the study and analysis of this complex and large scale CPES is not feasible in one dedicated facility/Research Infrastructure (RI). Therefore, remotely interconnecting Smart Grid laboratories unlocks the potential to test large scale scenarios through Joint Research Activity (JRA). By conducting joint experiments between different RIs within Europe, resource sharing can be achieved. This enables usage of and interaction between assets located in each RI in a coordinated way. Hence, the application of control algorithms running in one RI for the remote control of devices which are physically distributed in other facilities becomes possible. Thus, this thesis studies the implementation and application of geographically distributed laboratory interconnections for smart grid testing.