Electricity is increasingly being supplied by distributed sources of renewable energy, replacing central power plants and changing the demands on power grids. At the High Power Grid Lab (HPGL), new grid technologies are to be analyzed in a test environment designed to emulate the real power grid as accurately as possible. The focus will be on low- and medium-voltage grids for regional power distribution. The test platform is set to begin operation in 2030 as part of the Energy Lab at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Its construction is being funded with EUR 32.8 million in strategic development funding from the Helmholtz Association.
“With the HPGL, we’re setting up a unique research facility for evaluating the performance of innovative grid components under realistic conditions,” said Professor Marc Hiller, who heads KIT’s Institute of Electrical Engineering (ETI). “This infrastructure will play a crucial role in the development of the new technologies needed to upgrade our power grids.” The HPGL’s objective is to investigate the system properties of new types of grid components, such as power converters for medium-voltage DC grids, in a grid environment that is as realistic as possible.
Coupled medium-voltage grids, regional distribution grids, and industrial grids are becoming increasingly important as electricity consumption grows. The KIT Energy Lab’s Smart Energy System Simulation and Control Center will combine real-time power grid simulations with the medium-voltage grid emulators that will be available at the HPGL, with the real-time simulation determining the system behavior of the electrical grids while the emulators replicate this behavior in the real world with real power flows. With this approach, various components can be subjected to comprehensive testing. The result of the project will be a flexible test environment (power hardware in the loop) with behavior that reproduces the real grid as accurately as possible. For example, the flow of power from one medium-voltage grid to another can be regulated.. As one of the largest research platforms in Europe, the Energy Lab real-time laboratory links test facilities for power generation, energy storage, and energy use to support the development of a smart integrated energy supply system.
Cutting-edge Technology for Medium-voltage Grids
“The medium-voltage emulators used in the HPGL are being specially developed for this project,” noted Lukas Stefanski, HPGL project manager responsible for scientific and engineering aspects. “We can emulate AC grids up to 20 kilovolts and DC grids up to 35 kilovolts without transformers and up to a capacity of 40 megavolt-amperes. That’s a major advance for research on high-performance technologies for the increasingly important medium-voltage distribution grids.” Dr. Rüdiger Schwendemann, assistant project manager for HPGL components, added: “A key objective of the HPGL is to develop innovative equipment for medium-voltage grids and test it under realistic conditions. The emulators will enable us to accurately simulate grid behavior while safely reproducing operational modes and fault conditions.”
National and International Cooperation for the Energy Transition
In addition to the ETI, other KIT institutes involved in the project include the Institute of Electric Energy Systems and High-Voltage Technology, the Institute for Automation and Applied Informatics, and the Institute of Technical Physics. Many German and multinational industrial companies, grid operators, and research institutes will also be involved during the construction phase. The HPGL will thus act as a bridge enabling the rapid transfer of research results into practical applications – an essential aspect for a successful energy transition.
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More about the KIT Energy Center
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.