We operate the Dynamic Power Systems Laboratory within the Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow's city centre. It is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental facilities to support both research and commercial activities relating to Smart Grids, including a microgrid laboratory with a 90 kVA three-phase power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) capability and a real-time simulation suite. Specific technologies underpinning the infrastructure include: fully-controllable Triphase power electronics units, a flexible 400 V network, a Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS), real-time communications emulation, precision time-synchronisation, Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), and modern protocols for data communications.
Academic leads: Prof Graeme Burt, Dr Steven Blair.
Lab access: Access to the Dynamic Power Systems Laboratory for collaborative research work is available through the ERIGrid Transnational Access programme (https://erigrid.eu/transnational-access/). This scheme provides funding for researchers and companies (especially SMEs) to travel to our laboratory and demonstrate innovative smart grid solutions, leveraging our experimental facilities and expertise. Please contact Dr Steven Blair for more information: steven.m.blair@strath.ac.uk.
Integration of renewable technologies
Enabling low-carbon grids
The laboratory has the capability to represent different types of grid resources using several controllable power electronic converters. There is also a hardware battery energy storage system, and a super capacitor (to be installed in 2019).
Power electronic converter design and grid integration
Future power systems with high penetrations of converters
The laboratory has a range of devices (converters, loads and visiting devices) with flexible control systems and interfaces. The network and devices are used to test and demonstrate smart grid technologies within a controlled environment, and under steady-state and abnormal conditions.
Power Hardware in the Loop (PHIL) validation
Realistic systems-level grid experiments
The power network facilities are complemented with extensive real-time power system simulation capabilities enabling augmentation of the hardware network with simulated systems, which thereby representing large power networks. Simulated systems can be linked with real substation equipment – such as measurement devices, protection relays, and communications routers – to authentically and systematically validate prototype smart grid solutions.
Intelligent decision support and visualisation
Support future power system control
Using data analytics to enable autonomous, decentralised control architectures.
Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM)
Data-centric laboratory operation
The laboratory infrastructure has been mapped into the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) for facilitating the integration of devices and use cases under test. This allows for fast prototype development and minimises possible incompatibilities or integration issues.
Grid distributed control architectures
Enabling renewable energy integration
Autonomous systems. Islanded (and auto-islanding) power systems. Dynamic power systems (e.g. marine/emergency). Distributed measurements.
Validation of teleprotection using modern communications technologies
Guiding utility investments in packet-based communications infrastructure
Many electrical utilities, worldwide, and implementing or planning a revolutionary shift in telecoms infrastructure: moving from conventional circuit-based networks to packet-based systems. At Strathclyde, we have pioneered techniques to validate these new technologies in the most challenging conditions to ensure that teleprotection services - the most safety and operationally critical role - are delivered correctly.
Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs)
Design and implementation of resilient grid measurements
We have developed a Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) hardware prototype, using the Beckhoff platform to make synchronised measurements and perform the PMU algorithm processing. The PMU accepts analogue inputs in +/-10 V per-phase, 400 V three-phase, or using IEC 61850-9-2 Sampled Values (at various sampling rates).
This has been developed as part of the EURAMET ENG52 "Smart Grid II" project. The aim of the PMU algorithm is to produce robust synchrophasor and frequency measurements, regardless of the actual system frequency, harmonics, interharmonics, and unbalance. The PMU algorithm is also very computationally efficient: with analogue sampling of three-phase voltages at 10 kHz, the computation takes approximately 7 µs.
IEC 61850 prototyping and real-time validation
Digital substation technologies and standards-enabled testing
Rapid-prototyping of IEC 61850 GOOSE and Sample Value protocols for measurement, protection, automation, and control applications. Visualisation of IEC 61850-9-2 Sample Values. Real-time compression of Sample Value data. Measurement of PMU reporting latency.
Communications emulation for power system applications
Enabling cross-domain power and communications experiments
Capabilities include emulation of wide-area networks (WANs) and Demand-Side Management participation.
Large-scale WAMPAC validation
Generating real-time PMU data for protection, monitoring, and control
We have a facility to generate real-time data from up to 64 PMUs, to enable large-scale WAMPAC systems and data analysis methods. For more information, see the paper here: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/68971/1/Blair_etal_PACW2019_A_new_platform_for_validating_real_time_large_scale_WAMPAC_systems.pdf
Industry partners
National Grid (UK)
Scottish Power Energy Networks (UK)
Rolls Royce (UK, USA)
RTDS Technologies (Canada)
National Physical Laboratory (UK)
Energinet.dk (Denmark)
Nokia (Belgium, Canada, UK, USA)
Vodafone (UK)
OTN Systems (Belgium)
Applied Dynamics International (USA, UK)
Beckhoff Automation Ltd (UK, Germany)
GE Grid Solutions (UK)
Synaptec (UK)
Academic collaborators
Austrian Insitiute of Technology (Austria)
DTU (Denmark)
The Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (Cyprus)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
University of Manchester (UK)
Florida State University (USA)
TNO (Netherlands)
NTU (Singapore)
Grenoble INP (France)