Rapid prototyping of distributed energy resources integrating ICT and power electronics design

The increasing installation of distributed energy resources results in massive challenges related to the planning and operation of the power systems. Through intelligent control on system but also on component level with advanced functions the existing electricity supply infrastructure can be more efficiently used without the need to install additional distribution lines. Such a Smart Gird allows a higher penetration level of distributed generators but needs inverter-based devices with remote control possibilities. The design, development as well as validation of such smart inverter systems becomes more complex and time consuming. An integrated development approach covering the inverter hardware, advanced control functions and the necessary communication interface is missing up to now. The main aim of this paper therefore is to present and discuss a rapid prototyping approach for distributed energy resource device design addressing these issues. A corresponding work flow is suggested as well as a possible tool framework introduced which is validated on a selected example.