Hardware Realization of Participants in an Energy Packet-based Power Grid

The many changes and challenges faced by power grids have generated scientific interest in possible architectures for the next-generation power grid. An emerging approach is the energy packet grid (EP grid), a new paradigm for the power grid that is inspired by selected Internet design principles, in which grid participants exchange energy packets (EPs). We propose a hardware realization of participants in such an EP grid. This realization enables a comprehensive verification of EP concepts and protocols. The present paper discusses the necessary power electronic components together with a signal processing and control architecture. Laboratory measurements show first energy packet transfers and validate the presented concept.