A Converter-Based Hardware Testbed Hybrid Microgrid Emulator of a Flexible Manufacturing Plant

A hybrid microgrid is an attractive concept that aims to deliver energy to local ac and dc loads, reducing the strain imposed on the electrical grid. A hybrid microgrid of a flexible manufacturing plant consists of dc and ac loads, and distributed energy resources interfaces with the distributed grid through a power conditioning system to enable grid support capabilities and control power flow. To evaluate the controller functions of the hybrid microgrid, an appropriate testing platform is required. In this paper, the plant is emulated via a converter-based hardware testbed. The developed hardware testbed serves as a realistic model of the flexible manufacturing plant to test the controls and different scenarios to address potential issues or challenges with the control strategies and algorithms before system deployment. In addition, the hardware testbed provides the opportunity to validate the system’s response under different operating conditions in a controlled environment, leading to a more robust and reliable system design.