Real-Time Simulation of small-scale power grids with software in-the-loop and hardware in-the-loop experiments

As the term “Smart Grid” defines, the electricity supply network uses smart devices to monitor the state quantities, and digital communication technologies to support fast decisions and control. This work is focused on developing a flexible IoT architecture to support real-time tests and to validate some algorithms for monitoring and maintenance of micro-systems as intelligent smart functions on the virtual model of a small-scale power grid, through Real-Time Simulation Software in-the-loop (SIL) and Hardware in-the-loop (HIL). We aim to explain the implementation aspects of a microgrid in MATLAB/Simulink, based on real grid data and “smart customers” as end-users (capable of exchanging data with the outside of the simulation environment), then compiled in Real-Time environment (RT-LAB software). The overall communication infrastructure relies on different protocols for the data exchange between grid and application components (TCP and MQTT protocol). Furthermore, the presence of an MQTT broker makes the architecture flexible, since it allows the integration of different services.