Senior design project 

This report describes the development of a smart grid testbed using Real Time Digital Simulator and some of controllers that are used by EE researchers. This testbed will be the core of the Smart Grid Demonstration and Research Investigation Lab in Qatar University. It will be used by researchers, post-graduate students and instructors in QU for testing and validating smart grid applications since it is a hot topic these days due to the high increment in power demand as the time goes. Consequently, the need of a more robust, efficient and reliable power system is mandatory. The testbed will cover the desperate need for an inexpensive, reliable way for testing new ideas or applications in high voltage power systems. There are two major advantages of this project. First, the testbed will offer an easy way for controller interface without much hassle of wiring and connectors. Secondly, it allows the user to do what is called Hardware in the Loop simulation that allow an interaction between physical components and the modelled simulation which can give an exact reflection of the real-world scenario. The first work that was done in this project was the design of the hardware interface that is fixed to the RTDS front panel with all the connection arrangement needed. Afterward, investigated the functionality and the capabilities of the testbed through several applications. Some of these applications were designed and some of them were ready-made samples by RTDS Technology or published work. These samples were mainly used for hardware in the loop applications and testing. All the mentioned tasks were done per the design constraints and standards. In conclusion, smart grid testbeds are used by universities and companies all around the world for consultancy or for research purposes and their benefits have been proven throughout the last few years. Consequently, this project is the start of a new path of the smart grid research in QU which will show its impact in Qatar in the following years.