PowerLab: a flexible experimental architecture for smart microgrid testing

Interest in microgrids is advancing as they contribute to local energy management while preserving the main grid operation. However, their introduction poses problems of reliability, particularly when renewable sources are present. Therefore, devices and management systems need preliminary tests in lab facilities using emulators before their deployment on the field. This paper presents an architecture designed to help researchers test the envisioned management algorithms and control techniques on a lab-scale microgrid facility. On that base, a prototype control system was implemented to assess the operation in close to real conditions of an advanced control logic aiming at avoiding congestion issues. The physical architecture of the microgrid was easily adapted to the purpose. Results show that the microgrid effectively acted as expected, following the commands dispatched by the control system.