Next-Generation Testbed for Demonstrating Advanced Communication & Control of Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources

The modern electric grid is evolving with the shift from inertial synchronous generators to inverter-based resources. Aggregators, which are collections of inverter-based distributed resources, may provide ancillary services to support grid function and reliability. Electric utilities, balancing authorities, aggrega-tors, and technology developers need data and tools to develop equipment and protocols for the next generation of distributed operations. A testbed has been developed to demonstrate communication and control of distributed energy resources to address this gap. It consists of five major subsystems: generation and transmission, distribution, control, communication, and system loads. A real-time digital simulator provides hardware-in-the-loop testing, while physical hardware inputs to the simulation model. Microcontroller-based protection relays and a real-time automation controller manage distribution system components. Devices communicate via a software-defined network switch using IEC 61850 GOOSE protocols. Various loads mimic residential configurations and will evolve into transient and dynamic loads in future hardware iterations. Time-synchronized packet captures of network traffic help researchers enhance situational awareness and control for automated distribution system operation and will be hosted on a public database. In this paper, the testbed components are reviewed, examples of future work utilizing this environment are presented, and preliminary results demonstrate current system capabilities.