The R&D Nester's laboratory was included, once again, in the Smart Grid Laboratories Inventory, a document prepared by the Joint Research Centre, an organization belonging to the European Commission, which aims to promote research in the Europe.

It is the third consecutive time that the R&D Nester' laboratory has been included in the aforementioned publication, as it had already been included in its second and third editions (dated from 2016 and 2018, respectively), and is now considered in the fourth edition, published in 2022.

In this publication, it is possible to find information on the main research topics in the Smart Grids area, trends in the research community, the used technologies, as well as information on the standards and infrastructure used by the participating organizations. From the 86 listed laboratories, 65 are located in Europe.

Smart Grids are increasingly important in electrical networks, at a time when a classic, centralized paradigm, characterized by large generating plants, is being replaced by a decentralized one, in which generation is distributed over transmission and distribution networks and in which consumers will play an increasingly active role in the management of the electrical system.

To give some examples, part of the conclusions presented in this publication, regarding the laboratories listed therein, are listed below:

• The most common areas of expertise are grid integration, with 84% (microgrids, metering infrastructure, IEC 61850 standard), energy markets, 76% (flexibility, smart buildings, electric vehicles, energy communities, electricity markets, smart appliances, lighting), storage, 70% (preponderance for electrical storage), generation, 79% (solar, wind, flexible generation, IEC 61850 and IEC 61400 standards) and digitization, 77% (communication networks, digital twins , cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, real-time and hardware-in-the-loop simulations).

• The most common devices are power amplifiers, battery storage systems and electrical network simulators.

• The most frequently provided services are equipment testing and integration (33%) and research and development support (29%).

The inclusion of the R&D Nester's laboratory in this list demonstrates its capabilities, which have been used in several national and international projects.

Among these capabilities are real-time simulation of power networks, hardware-in-the-loop tests (equipment tested as if it was placed in a power network), analysis of communication networks for power systems and co-simulation (simultaneous simulation of electrical and communication networks).

More information:

Smart Grid Laboratories Inventory

R&D Nester's laboratory