VENUE
Ground Floor, Innovation RoomREE Campus, Tres Cantos Technology Park
1 Isaac Newton Street
28760 Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
REGISTRATION & COFFEE
- Wednesday, October 218:00 - 8:30 AM
Registration and coffee - Thursday, October 228:30 - 9:00 AM
Registration and coffee
Morning and afternoon refreshments, as well as lunch will be provided for delegates.
REE FACILITIES TOUR
Wednesday, October 212:00 - 4:00 PMAttendance is limited to pre-registered delegates
Take an exclusive look inside Red Eléctrica’s facilities at the REE Campus. The tour visits the Control Center, which monitors and manages electricity generation and transmission across Spain in real time, 24 hours a day, processing around 240,000 data points to keep supply and demand in balance.
Delegates will also see the Testing and Calibration Laboratory, where protection and control devices are qualified using RTDS real-time simulation, new solutions are developed and validated, real-world grid incidents are replicated and analyzed, and ENAC-accredited calibration and measurement work is carried out.
NETWORKING DINNER
Wednesday, October 217:15 PM: Charter bus departs EXE Tres Cantos Hotel7:45 - 10:00 PM: Dinner
Taberna del Capitán AlatristeC/ Grafal, 7 (Next To Cava Baja)
28005 Madrid (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Join fellow delegates for an evening of connection and conversation at Taberna del Capitán Alatriste.
The Taberna del Capitán Alatriste is located in the centre of Madrid, in a historic space with a careful decoration set in the Golden Age. Its different rooms are located in ancient caves and walls that evoke the essence of the past era, creating a unique environment where you can enjoy Madrid’s gastronomy and traditional Castilian cuisine.
PRESENTATIONS
DOWNLOAD FULL AGENDA (PDF, opens in a new tab)Wednesday, October 21
Distributed Busbar Protection Testing Mixing Fully Simulated Merging Units, Physical Stand-Alone Merging Units and Directly Wired Currents
Differential busbar protection testing with Sampled Values.
Distributed busbar protection testing based on IEC 61850 Sampled Values in a four-bus, four-coupling scenario, in which 12 of the 14 merging units (MUs) are simulated on the RTDS hardware, one bay is wired through an amplifier to a physical merging unit, and the last bay is directly wired through an amplifier to the central unit.
The scope of the testing was the validation of the protection devices, the analysis of the Sampled Values technology, and the importance of time synchronization, with the limits of interoperability in mind.
RTDS Simulation for IEC 61850 Process Bus
As protection and automation systems move to fully digital IEC 61850 process bus solutions, it becomes possible for AC substations to perform system-wide current and voltage injection testing from an RTDS simulation in IEC 61850 digital form, eliminating the analogue amplification and wiring stages.
This may improve commissioning security, as a PAC system is currently tested only at the level of individual devices. Grid operators state that nearly 50% of protection misoperations are due to incorrect settings and configuration mistakes.
The RTDS GTNETx2 card supports two flexible SV streams and four IEDs with GOOSE per interface, while a typical bay requires two SV Light Edition streams (measurement and protection class) and three IEDs with GOOSE/MMS (primary and backup protection, and a bay controller). This means a full substation simulation would require almost one full GTNETx2 card per bay, which can be challenging for real-world deployments with tens of bays. Certain optimizations are possible, such as leveraging the SV flexible stream capabilities and combining multiple real IEDs into a single simulated IED. The recent introduction of GTNETx3 should enhance the experience of working with a fully redundant PRP process bus, which is now a mandatory requirement.
Real-time Lab Validation of Adaptive Protection in Digital Substations
With the rapid expansion of inverter-based resources (IBRs) and digital substations, legacy static protection philosophies may become obsolete. Modern power systems require adaptive protection architectures capable of evolving with changing system conditions.
This presentation outlines a practical pathway for the modelling, validation, and deployment of adaptive protection systems in digital substations. It first examines the IBR control parameters most critical to protection performance and presents aggregation methods to preserve these characteristics at higher IBR penetration levels. Next, the presentation proposes a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing framework that integrates these real-time models with virtualized protection functions. The objective is to provide insights into how digital substations can support the continuous assessment of protection settings and schemes in modern power systems.
From Plant to System: Develop Real-time Test Benches for Converter-based Power Systems
The rapid deployment of massive converter-based resources, including offshore wind power plants and HVDC systems, is transforming power systems into highly complex and interconnected cyber-physical systems. Traditional offline studies and component-level testing are increasingly insufficient to assess the dynamic interactions among controllers, communication networks, and protection systems.
This presentation introduces the vision of the DTU Real-Time (RT) Center, a next-generation testing and research infrastructure designed to support large-scale real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing of converter-dominated power systems. It highlights how the ongoing development of IEC TS 61400-21-5 provides the first international standard for real-time testing of wind power plants. Building on this foundation, the RT Center aims to evolve from a wind power plant testing platform into a testing ground for system-wide studies. The infrastructure will enable plant testing, large-scale EMT studies, and the generation of large-scale datasets, supporting the reliable and intelligent operation of tomorrow’s power systems.
CHIMERA: From Grid Code Compliance Testing to Large-Scale Real-Time Simulation of Grid-Forming Hybrid Power Plants
This newly started project focuses on the scientific investigation of concepts for grid-forming hybrid power plants and the assessment of their technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility. In these hybrid plants, a supervisory park controller performs central coordination of the plant portfolio and, together with the battery energy storage system at the grid connection point, provides both grid-forming operation and additional system services.
The main focus of the project is real-time simulation for grid code compliance testing of grid-forming hybrid power plants. The subsequent scaling of these approaches also enables real-time system-level studies, particularly with respect to system stability. The presentation introduces the project approaches and places them within the broader context. In addition, results of CHIL tests for GFM DC hybrid plants modelled on RTDS® are presented.
The project consists of 16 partners from academia, industry, DSOs, and TSOs, and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
Real-Time Simulation at RTE International: HVDC C&P Replica Applications
Real-time simulation has become a key tool at RTE International for testing, analysing, and supporting complex multi-vendor HVDC systems. This presentation shares experiences from two projects where RTDS-based real-time simulation is used.
The first project concerns the Johan Sverdrup offshore power supply system, where RTDS and hardware-in-the-loop simulations with control and protection replicas were initially used to de-risk the parallel operation of two multi-vendor HVDC links. Following successful commissioning, RTE International now hosts the replicas and provides long-term support to the system operator. The replicas are used for software update testing, post-event analysis, operator training, and regular testing to maintain both equipment availability and the operational expertise of the support team.
The second project concerns the interaction study between the SOFIA and Dogger Bank C offshore wind farms. In this multi-vendor context, RTE International combines offline EMT simulations with RTDS-based real-time simulations and HIL to investigate potential interactions between HVDC systems. The presentation will also provide further details on the integration of the wind farm’s vendor-specific control and protection system.
RTDS and PSCAD Study Benchmark of Control System Performance
The Modular Advanced Control for HVDC (MACH™) control system provides unequalled calculation capacity and enables a high degree of integration and handling for all control and protection functions. MACH control provides advanced fault registration and remote-control functions. The system is designed to run 24/7 for thirty years or more, allowing the HVDC system to be controlled and protected in the most reliable way throughout its lifetime.
This presentation focuses on benchmarking results of the control system performance of an HVDC VSC link between real-time and offline simulation. In the RTDS (RSCAD) setup, the MACH converter control system is interfaced with RTDS as hardware-in-the-loop, and all control and protection functions for the converters reside in the MACH system. In the PSCAD setup, also termed “offline simulation”, control and protection reside in a virtual MACH (control code compiled as a dynamic link library, .dll), which uses the same control code (relevant to dynamic performance) as the real system and emulates the real hardware characteristics.
A brief overview of Hitachi Energy’s FST process is also included in this presentation.
RTDS PRESENTATION 1: Recent Developments for the RTDS Simulator
Co-simulation between RTDS and TSAT as a Validation Method for InterSCADA Solutions
This presentation shows how a co-simulation setup, based on RTDS linked with a transient stability assessment tool through a TRI module, can form a validation environment for testing monitoring and automation systems that use PMU measurements.
First, an extended EMT-RMS model of a real power system is presented. The model is then used as a source of validation data for the development and testing of user-written auxiliary modules operating in a SCADA environment in real time. Two such modules are briefly described, and simulation results are provided.
Thursday, October 22
RTDS PRESENTATION 2: Data Center Power System Modelling: Supporting Current and Next Generation Architectures
Using RTDS to Validate a WAMPAC Solution Based on PMU and GOOSE for Stability Control of the Balearic Islands over New HVDC Links and BESS
HERMES is a WAMPAC system developed to maximize the secure utilization of interconnections in the Balearic power system through the coordinated control of transmission-connected BESS and HVDC links. The scheme supervises the operating status, power flows, and loading of AC and DC interconnections in real time, and automatically issues control commands to the 90 MW Ibiza BESS, the 50 MW Menorca BESS, and the existing and future HVDC links.
Following AC or HVDC contingencies, HERMES deploys BESS support to prevent unacceptable overloads on the remaining AC corridors and to compensate for lost HVDC power transfers. The control strategy coordinates the response of storage assets with the existing and future HVDC interconnections, enabling both discrete and continuous power balancing actions.
To validate the complete WAMPAC functionality, an extensive RTDS model was developed. The real-time simulation includes the acquisition of network status information, measurements, and power flows from substations across three Balearic islands through IEEE C37.118 synchrophasor streams, as well as the emulation of BESS and HVDC responses to control commands transmitted via IEC 61850 GOOSE messages. This closed-loop environment enabled the verification of monitoring, decision-making, communication, and control functions under realistic operating conditions and severe network contingencies, providing confidence for field deployment.
De-Risking Multi-Terminal, Multi-Vendor HVDC Interoperability: The Aquila Experience
Great Britain’s transmission network is undergoing an unprecedented transformation to integrate growing volumes of offshore and onshore renewable generation, with HVDC identified as a key enabling technology for connecting generation to demand centres across the country. As these connections evolve, there is increasing potential for expansion into multi-terminal HVDC systems.
This presentation will outline the preliminary studies conducted in the RTDS environment, comparing two MTDC configurations relevant to future GB network development: rigid bipole, and bipole with dedicated metallic return (DMR). Key aspects examined include steady-state and dynamic performance under each configuration across a range of credible operating conditions.
The findings offer early insight for transmission owners (TOs) and system operators considering the evolution from point-to-point HVDC schemes toward coordinated multi-terminal HVDC networks that support the integration of large-scale renewable generation and the transition to a net-zero GB electricity system.
HVDC Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) supported by Test Automation using RTDS Python
Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) are a critical milestone in HVDC projects, requiring the verification of complex control and protection functions under a wide range of operating conditions. This presentation describes the development of a Python-based test automation framework for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test environments using Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) technology.
The focus of the work was the creation of an automated solution capable of interacting with real hardware and software components while maintaining flexibility for different test scenarios. Key challenges included establishing reliable communication with physical devices, dynamically detecting and evaluating the current state of the system under test, and controlling software functions in a fully automated manner. The framework combines real-time system monitoring, automated test execution, and result evaluation to reduce manual effort and improve test repeatability.
The presentation outlines the design decisions, implementation steps, and lessons learned during development. It also highlights how test automation can increase the efficiency, consistency, and scalability of HVDC FAT activities while supporting high-quality validation of control and protection systems.
RTDS Modeling of the Bornholm Energy Island
Energy islands represent a new approach to integrating large-scale offshore wind into interconnected power systems. The Bornholm Energy Island is planned as one of the world’s first energy islands, collecting at least 3 GW of offshore wind generation and connecting it to Denmark and Germany through HVDC links. The project is also intended to pave the way for future energy hubs, including developments in the North Sea, while creating opportunities for sector coupling through technologies such as Power-to-X.
At the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), the Offshore Energy Hubs research project investigates alternative electrical architectures for such systems, including AC, DC, and hybrid hub topologies with multi-terminal HVDC networks. This presentation focuses on the real-time modelling and analysis of these concepts using the RTDS Simulator. The RTDS platform is used to validate system and control models under realistic operating conditions and to support their progression toward hardware-in-the-loop testing, thereby increasing the technology readiness of the developed solutions.
Pushing the Limits of Offshore AC Power Transmission with FACTS Technology
Two new oil and gas platforms located approximately 160 km offshore on the west coast of Norway are being electrified through a high-voltage AC (HVAC) power-from-shore system. The project aims to replace local offshore power generation with electricity supplied from the mainland grid, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. With a total submarine cable length of 255 km, the installation represents a world-record HVAC transmission distance for offshore platform electrification.
To enable reliable operation over such an unprecedented cable length, a dedicated reactive power compensation substation has been developed, combining passive compensation with advanced FACTS technologies. The solution integrates shunt compensation through a STATCOM and series compensation through a thyristor-controlled series capacitor (TCSC), providing dynamic voltage control at the offshore platforms while minimizing reactive power exchange at the point of connection to the mainland grid.
The presentation focuses on how key technical challenges associated with long-distance HVAC transmission have been addressed. These include voltage variations during load rejection, electrical faults, energization of the whole system, and mitigation of resonance phenomena. The coordinated STATCOM and TCSC control strategy ensures voltage stability, limits reactive power transfer, and maintains robust system performance under both steady-state and transient operating conditions.
Controller-Hardware-in-the-Loop Validation of Coordinated Dynamic Reactive Power Control in Offshore Wind Farms Using a Fast-Switching Variable Shunt Reactor
Connecting offshore wind farms over long distances with AC cables leads to significant capacitive reactive power, which must be compensated to meet grid code requirements. While steady-state compensation is often achieved using a variable shunt reactor, requirements resulting from fast voltage dips must be met dynamically. In common configurations, the variable shunt reactor is combined with a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) to meet these dynamic requirements.
This presentation proposes an alternative topology for dynamic reactive power control using a mechanically switched reactor and an enhanced variable shunt reactor. The variable shunt reactor is enhanced with a power electronic fast-switching module that allows the turns ratio to be adjusted within one grid frequency cycle. To meet the grid code requirements, a coordinated reactive power control scheme is developed and validated against the UK National Grid code.
For this purpose, a controller-hardware-in-the-loop setup is established, using two industrial controllers coupled to the RTDS® real-time simulator to validate the coordinated control scheme. The power plant controller, which calculates the grid code requirements, is implemented on one industrial controller. The reactive power controller is implemented on the second controller and coordinates the compensation devices. Simulation results prove compliance with the UK grid code and validate the concept of the enhanced variable shunt reactor for dynamic reactive power control.
RTDS PRESENTATION 3: Python Applications for the RTDS Simulator
RTDS-Based Hardware-in-the-Loop Validation of Virtualized Protection, Monitoring and AI Algorithms for Digital Substations
The digitalization of electrical substations and the increasing integration of converter-interfaced renewable generation are accelerating the adoption of software-defined protection, monitoring, and control functions deployed on general-purpose computing platforms. Before field deployment, these virtualized applications require extensive validation under realistic operating conditions, including communication disturbances, power system transients, fault scenarios and time-critical requirements. In this context, Real-Time Digital Simulation (RTDS) provides an effective environment for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing and performance assessment.
This contribution presents the validation methodologies followed in CIRCE, where protection, monitoring and signal-processing functions are implemented as containerized microservices running on edge computing platforms. RTDS is used as the core testing infrastructure to generate electromagnetic transient scenarios, publish IEC 61850 Sampled Values (SV), exchange GOOSE messages, and evaluate end-to-end performance of virtualized applications operating in real time. Different HIL configurations have been developed to assess functionality, accuracy, resilience, scalability, and communication latency.
Several representative applications are presented. First, a Software-Defined Analog Processing Module is evaluated using IEC 61850 SV streams generated by RTDS. Second, a virtualized multicriteria faulted-phase selector for transmission networks is tested under different operating conditions. Third, a virtual Phasor Measurement Unit is assessed against synchrophasor performance requirements using RTDS as both signal source and synchronized reference. Finally, artificial intelligence applications for transformer fault identification, DC-grid fault detection, and advanced phase selection are trained with RTDS-generated datasets and evaluated through HIL testing.
The experiences demonstrate that RTDS-based HIL methodologies provide a robust framework for the validation and deployment of next-generation protection, monitoring, and AI applications in digital substations.
Towards Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing of Internet-inspired Cyber-physical Energy Systems for Store-and-forward Energy Routing
As the deployment of distributed energy resources interfaced by power electronic converters accelerates, cyber-physical energy system architectures that allow controllability, isolation and flexible power exchange are attracting increasing attention. We present a new paradigm inspired by communication networks and leveraging solid-state transformers (SSTs) to decouple local grids into so-called asynchronous grids (a-Grids). Here, SSTs function as energy routers, enabling flexible transfer of power between a-Grids.
Given their novelty, energy routers require rigorous modelling, testing and risk assessment. To this end, we conceptualize a Controller-Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL) testing method for the proposed cyber-physical energy router approach, combining the RTDS platform with cyber-layers implemented via a commercial-off-the-shelf platform and the OMNeT++ network simulator for realistic communication-network behavior, thereby enabling reproducible investigation of energy-router control under realistic communication delays, packet loss, network congestion, and cyber-physical interaction scenarios.
Active Hardware in Power Hardware-in-the-loop Testing: Introduction and Challenges
Power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) offers flexible testing of active hardware under rated operating points, using defined scenarios on a real-time simulator. However, PHIL faces stability challenges due to added interface components and their resulting delays.
This presentation introduces PHIL as a key application of real-time simulation, discusses testing active hardware using PHIL, and examines active hardware stability in PHIL tests through the example of an active front end.
KEYNOTE SPEECH
DAVID DESCALZO
Protection Engineer
Ingeniero de Protecciones
Red Eléctrica de España
Introduction to REE
Wednesday, October 21, 8:45 - 9:00 AM
RTDS TEAM
KATI SIDWALL
Manager, Technical Marketing
CHRISTINE ALBERT
Marketing & Events Specialist
CYPRIAN PETERS
Director, Sales & Marketing
SUMEK ELIMBAN
Director, Product Applications
HEATHER MEIKLEJOHN
Manager, Customer Support & Development
IRFAN RAHAMATHULLA
Manager, Software Development
KELLY MCNEILL
CEO