Modern, environmentally friendly energy concepts are based on distributed renewable energy and local production sites as energy suppliers. In addition, smart houses with various renewable energy installations and bidirectional vehicles are becoming important contributors to modern power grids. Due to fluctuations in energy supply and demand, these grids must be very flexible and require intelligent subsystems for energy distribution and storage.
Whether you are developing any kind of grid-connected inverter, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, wind, solar, or battery control systems (primary control), microgrid management systems (secondary control), or tertiary control systems interfacing the main power grid, we offer comprehensive support in designing, prototyping, implementing, and testing your systems.
Microgrids for Mobile Applications
Aircraft, ships, and trains host a range of generators, storage systems, and energy consumers. Their onboard power systems include various hardware and software for control and communication. You can rely on our full support when developing and testing these mobile microgrids.
Challenges
A new, highly flexible distribution infrastructure and smart control units are needed to make our power grids ready for the future. New devices such as solid-state transformers, controllable local grid transformers, and stationary batteries can help ensure a stable energy supply, but they also have to be controlled. Therefore, all system components for power generation, consumption, and storage must be connected to a central control unit (SCADA system). This will help meet the various challenges our power grids are facing:
- Fluctuations in energy generation throughout the day
- Distributed power generation and its combination with existing power grids
- Conversion of direct current (DC), usually generated by solar and battery systems, to alternating current (AC)
- Smart houses that can be energy consumers and providers at the same time
dSPACE Solutions for Power Grids
dSPACE offers a wide range of products for developing and testing smart grid controllers. Our portfolio covers all required test cases, both for signal-level and power-level testing.
For hardware-in-the-loop controller testing and real-time simulations, our SCALEXIO systems are ideal to fully test various renewable-energy inverters, V2G systems, and any system for primary, secondary, and tertiary control. All parts of the power grid can be simulated on the basis of your requirements. For this, you can use our Electrical Power Systems Simulation (EPSS) Package in combination with Simscape Electrical™ and our broad portfolio of ready-to-use motor and power electronics libraries.
For power-level testing, our simulation environment can be easily combined with power grid emulators, such as our power HIL systems, to test the complete functionality at full power.
Highlights
- Powerful prototyping systems for any kind of control system
- Ready-to-use models for environment, motor, and power electronics
- Topology-based power grid and power electronics simulation
Simulation Modeling
Rapid Prototyping
Production Software Development
Optimized Production Software Development
The central challenges in production software development include the optimization of RAM resources, run time, and integration into the overall system. Furthermore, it must be possible to split the software in such a way that regular software updates are possible. And before the final software release, special validation and often a release process are required.
SIL Testing
Software-in-the loop (SIL) testing with the powerful dSPACE solution for PC- and cloud-based simulation
With the dSPACE solution for software-in-the loop (SIL) testing, you can significantly accelerate your software development process by testing and validating virtually. dSPACE offers you a complete, modular, scalable development and test solution. You can conveniently simulate a device-under-test on a PC, connect it to physics-based models, run scalable tests in the cloud, and then easily reuse test scripts on hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems.
HIL Testing
Central Test Method for Validating ECUs
The dSPACE HIL test systems provide a simulated environment for efficient and reproducible validation of real ECUs in the laboratory 24/7. This increases test coverage and shortens validation times significantly. Our HIL solutions cover all vehicle domains from autonomous driving to zero emissions – starting with component testing and up to virtual vehicle testing.
Power HIL Testing
Closing the Gap Between HIL and Dynamometer Testing
With our power HIL systems, we offer ready-to-use solutions for testing any kind of inverter, including the controller and power electronics, at full power. Using real voltages and currents, our systems enable you to complete exceptionally rigorous tests. Our systems behave like a digital twin of the real system and allow for easy configuration with just a few clicks, which significantly reduces setup times.
Bus & Network Communication
Simulation, Logging, Replay, and Analysis
dSPACE provides a comprehensive and complete tool chain for simulation, analyzation, and validation, supporting a wide range of bus systems and applications. Ready-to-use products and customer-specific solutions support you during your development process.
For data exchange with any industrial devices and SCADA systems using protocols like Modbus, Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3), and IEC 61850, please contact us.
Test Data Management
Data Management and Collaboration Software for Automated ECU Testing
SYNECT, our solution for the efficient and automated verification and validation of ECU software, helps engineers worldwide handle all test parameters, their dependencies, versions and variants, and the underlying requirements throughout the entire development process.
This results in consistent data versions and complete traceability as required in homologation processes, and an efficient reuse of data in other projects.
Development support from start to finish
Developing complex E/E systems and software with ever more safety-critical functions, especially in the area of autonomous systems, raises the question of guaranteeing function reliability. That's why dSPACE offers end-to-end expertise in functional safety, test strategy development as well as verification and validation in complex E/E processes - to support you from the earliest project stages to homologation.
dSPACE systems are easy to get up and running – however, if a project is more complex, if individual solutions are needed or if there is high time pressure, you can also trust dSPACE's fast, competent and reliable engineering services.
