Case Study: Sandia National Laboratories achieves 80% faster model development and major battery cost savings with MathWorks Simulink and Simscape Electrical

Sandia National Laboratories Simulates Hawaii Microgrid and Photovoltaic Systems

Sandia National Laboratories worked with Maui Electric to evaluate battery capacity and control strategies for a new 1.2 MW photovoltaic microgrid on Lanai, facing a tight three-month schedule to ensure reliable operation when PV output dropped or failed. Using MathWorks tools — including MATLAB, Simulink, and Simscape Electrical — Sandia needed fast, flexible models that could be validated with real sensor data and adapted for future generation and renewable additions.

Using MathWorks’ Simulink and Simscape Electrical (with Simulink Coder and MATLAB for analysis), Sandia built and validated dynamic microgrid models, ran simulations with real irradiance data, and generated C code for real‑time testing. The MathWorks-based solution cut model development time by 80%, demonstrated a battery size roughly half the initial estimate (saving more than $200,000), verified simulation accuracy with field data, and showed no additional FACTS device was required.

Sandia National Laboratories

Ben Schenkman

Member of the Technical Staff