Geographically Distributed Real Time Co-Simulation Testbed For Community Microgrids

For this paper co-simulation is performed between two different geographically distributed platforms one at Duke Energy Smart Grid Lab, UNC Charlotte, USA on RTDS and other one at Clemson University, USA on Speedgoat. The two platform share information using UDP based socket communication with each other using a software known as VILLASnode. For the co-simulation one of the two Wilmington, North Carolina feeders was simulated at UNCC on RTDS while the other on OpenDSS which were connected to a IEEE 34 test case which was being simulated at Clemson on Speedgoat on a common bus. In this work co-simulation synchronization was achieved through GPS clock and a model is developed utilizing the GPS clock signal to compensate the delay caused due to the communication. Also, to remove the sampling effect as much as possible from the perspective of hardware limitation orthogonal frame is used when sending information through UDP socket which was then converted back to three phase time domain dynamic component from the orthogonal frame when information is received from the socket. This paper gives the detailed step wise analysis of how the co-simulation can be performed and concepts essential for co-simulation between any platform.