Smart microgrid educational laboratory: An integrated electric and communications infrastructure platform

Abstract

Microgrids as local area power systems are changing the power system landscape due to their potential to offer a viable solution for integrating renewable energy resources into the main grid. From the operational point of view, microgrids should have appropriate power electronic interfaces, control schemes, and monitoring and automation infrastructure to provide the required flexibility and meet the related IEEE 1547 standard requirements. This study describes some of the efforts made at the smart microgrid educational laboratory to provide such facilities and create real-world conditions needed to conduct research and teach the related courses. Laboratory works not only increase the practical skills of the students but also can motivate them to pursue theoretical courses with a strong passion. The introduced facilities are somehow unique for the integration of both electric and communication infrastructures which can resolve the problem of disregard for data transfer challenges in the studies. Complete hardware design of power plant components and incorporation of solar photovoltaic (PV) and two types of wind turbine generations are some of the efforts made to bring the real-world conditions into the laboratory.