WEBINAR | Part 2 | Testing and Validation of Power Systems Operations and Controls with Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)

​NREL’s Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) Test Bed

NREL’s advanced distribution management system (ADMS) test bed is a vendor-neutral resource for evaluating existing and future ADMS functionalities in a realistic laboratory setting. The test bed uses OPAL-RT’s ePHASORSIM and eMEGASIM products interfaced with an OpenDSS power system simulation through the HELICS cosimulation platform developed by multiple DOE laboratories; and with power and controller hardware. NREL will present an overview of the test bed and the technologies included within it, and also some examples of how the test bed has been used to address industry challenges.

Biography:

Dr. Annabelle Pratt is a principal engineer for the Power Systems Engineering Center at NREL. She works on autonomous management of flexible building load and distributed generation; microgrid and distribution system management systems; and the application of power and controller hardware-in-the-loop techniques to system performance evaluation. Prior to joining NREL, she was a senior power research engineer with Intel Labs, and previously she was with Advanced Energy Industries where she developed power supplies for the semiconductor manufacturing and architectural glass coating industries.

Dr. Murali Baggu is Laboratory Program Manager for Grid Integration at NREL. In this role, He leads the DOE Office of Electricity and Grid Modernization’s Initiatives’ (GMI) programs at NREL. He currently leads the NREL GMI Advanced Distribution Management Systems efforts and Puerto Rico Grid Resilience efforts at NREL. He has extensive experience in advanced grid control and evaluation for future power systems with high penetrations of distributed energy resources. This includes ADMS, microgrid applications, and energy-storage applications. Most recently he served as Manager of the Energy Systems Optimization and Control (ESOC) Group within the Power Systems Engineering Center. Before joining NREL he worked as a Lead Power Systems Engineer at GE Global Research, Niskayuna, NY, where he developed advanced Volt/VAR control and DER management algorithms. At GE, he also led the technology development and deployment of large-scale energy storage integration with photovoltaic systems for Department of Defense Marine Corps installations. He has four patents and several publications in these areas. His research interests include grid integration of renewables systems (wind and PV), energy storage system integration, distribution automation and grid operations and control. He has a Ph.D. is Power engineering from Missouri S&T.