Implementation of a Low Cost Real-Time (RT) Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Platform to Support the Development of Distributed Generation in NIZ

In the world, the energy transition requires the participation of multiple disciplines and technologies. The technologies that allow the development of projects with solutions employing alternative and renewable energy sources, such as Typhoon HIL and Opal-RT, are very expensive. In countries with emerging economies, these technologies are only affordable in large universities and technological research centers, exclusively enabling them to actively participate in these transformations. Small companies do not have the economic resources to acquire these technologies, which hinders their participation. This article describes the implementation of a low-cost HIL-RT platform for testing and development in the control of small electrical microgrids located in remote regions. The platform consists of a Raspberry Compute 4 that supports the GNU Open Modelica simulator on Linux and interacts in RT with power converters that form a single-phase AC microgrid, typical of small users with domestic and agricultural loads in Non-Interconnected Zones (NIZ).