Setting up a grid simulator.

Abstract

The test and validation of prototypes in the area of Distributed Generation is often related to the effect of these devices on the electrical grid. However, due to the scale of the mentioned equipment it is difficult to observe this effect when the device interacts with the main grid. A first approximation to this behavior can be simulated using a model which interacts with a simulated environment, with a software tool. When the software model is well defined, the prototyping phase starts and new testing will be required. The purpose of this work is to develop a test stand for such devices which would mimic some of the most important parameters of a grid. The impact of the tested device in the grid can therefore be adjusted. This grid simulator will be used for stability studies in the introduction of Distributed Generation Devices as well as Renewable Energy Sources in the grid and it can be seen as a scaled model of the real grid. This work was implemented in the DeMoTeC laboratory in the Institut für Solare Energieversorgungstechnik (ISET) in Kassel (Germany) and it has been used for testing minigrids connected with the main grid