Global RT-Super Lab: A Real-Time Co-Simulation Across the Atlantic

The company

The Global RT-Super Lab is a vendor-neutral, distributed research platform established in 2017 through collaboration among three US national laboratories (NREL, Sandia, Idaho National Laboratory), three US universities (Colorado State University, University of South Carolina, Washington State University), and two European universities (RWTH Aachen University, Politecnico di Torino). Together, these institutions pool expertise and infrastructure to advance the understanding of power-electronics-dominated grids and next-generation energy networks.

The Challenges

• Unprecedented Complexity: Integrating Geographically Distributed Real-Time Simulation (GD-RTS) across eight labs, multiple vendors, and trans-Atlantic distances presented staggering coordination and technical challenges.
• Low-Inertia Grid Dynamics: The gradual installation of DERs via power-electronics-based interfaces fundamentally transforms power system dynamics, requiring new validation approaches for grids approaching 100% inverter-based sources.
• Energy Conservation at Interfaces: Accurate GD-RTS demands that no energy is generated or stored at subsystem interfaces—violating this principle invalidates simulation stability and fidelity.
• Confidentiality Constraints: Collaborating institutions, industries, and utilities needed to share simulation resources and run joint experiments without revealing proprietary or national grid data.

The OPAL-RT Solution

The consortium built a comprehensive co-simulation infrastructure connecting ten digital real-time simulators across eight labs:

• Multi-Vendor Real-Time Simulation: OPAL-RT simulators served as the backbone at multiple sites—including NREL (PHIL for PV inverters), Sandia (PHIL for wind turbines), CSU, USC, and POLITO—alongside units from other vendors, demonstrating true vendor-neutral interoperability.
• VILLAS framework: An open co-simulation framework enabled Internet-based interconnection of all DRTS units, managing data exchange of current and voltage variables while preserving energy conservation at every interface.
• HIL & PHIL Integration: The platform combined controller HIL and Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) across sites, enabling comprehensive real-world testing of novel technologies against existing grid infrastructure.
• RT-LAB Implementation: OPAL-RT’s RT-LAB software provided the simulation environment for model implementation, partitioning, and real-time execution at participating laboratories.

The results

The September 2017 demonstration delivered a landmark achievement in distributed power system simulation:

• World’s Largest GD-RTS: Successfully performed the largest geographically distributed real-time simulation of a large power system ever conducted, spanning two continents.
• Transatlantic HVDC Validation: Demonstrated transatlantic HVDC interconnection of US and European benchmark transmission systems with local transmission-distribution interactions.
• Cost-Effective Resource Sharing: Enhanced computational capability at each lab without further investment, and enabled shared hardware/software facilities without local replication.
• Confidential Collaboration: Proved that joint research studies are feasible even under strict confidentiality constraints, with indirect data sharing protecting proprietary information.
• Lasting Influence: The demonstration’s methodology and framework influenced subsequent projects and established a blueprint for how large-scale power system simulations will be conducted for years to come.

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