Laboratory Education of Modern Power Systems Using PHIL Simulation

Power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation allows the connection of a physical power component (e.g., photovoltaic inverter) to a real-time simulated network. In this paper, PHIL simulation is used for laboratory education in a systematic way for the first time. Four important topics for the understanding of power system operation are selected and laboratory exercises are designed, respectively. The topics focus on the effects of increased integration of distributed generation (DG), namely, power sharing between synchronous generators and DG, voltage control with on load tap changer and DG, short circuits with inverter-based DG, and microgrid operation. The exercises start from the operation of the traditional power system and gradually incorporate DG-related topics that show both benefits and challenges. A hands-on approach is supported by the appropriate lab configuration consisting of two independent PHIL setups. The assessment of the laboratory exercises by the students is clearly positive underlining the value of PHIL simulation for power system education.