Case Study: Hydro‑Québec achieves real‑time EMT simulations and accurate equipment planning with MathWorks

Hydro-Québec Models Wind Power Plant Performance

Hydro‑Québec needed to plan integration of new wind farms, forecast power output, and ensure reliable operation without over‑ or under‑investing in equipment such as static VAR compensators. To capture both electromechanical transient stability and electromagnetic transients (EMTs) for single turbines, 70–100 turbine farms, and full grid interaction, Hydro‑Québec turned to MathWorks tools including MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape Electrical, and Simulink Coder.

Using MathWorks’ MATLAB/Simulink and Simscape Electrical, Hydro‑Québec built detailed turbine and 73‑turbine farm models, generated C code with Simulink Coder, and ran hundreds of real‑time simulations on a 32‑processor Hypersim environment. The MathWorks-based workflow validated an aggregate farm model, enabled EMT studies (e.g., series compensation interactions), boosted simulation speed to real time, helped avoid millions in unnecessary SVCs by accurately sizing compensation, and is informing plans for 4,000 MW of new wind capacity.

Hydro Quebec

Richard Gagnon

Researcher