Controller hardware in the loop approaches supporting rapid prototyping of smart low voltage grid control

Intelligent control approaches for smart low voltage (LV) grids have to meet the future requirements caused by increasing penetration of distributed generation (DG) from renewable sources and new network participators like electric vehicles. To meet these technical requirements complex solutions have to be developed. Due to the fact that these solutions should be implemented in one of the most critical infrastructures, a detailed test, evaluation, and deployment process is necessary. One highly relevant part of this process is controller hardware in the loop (C-HIL) testing. This paper will therefore present and discuss different C-HIL approaches as part of a rapid prototyping process to support the development of active control solutions. The approaches were investigated within the research project “DG DemoNet - Smart LV Grid”.