Case Study: National Renewable Energy Laboratory achieves top microgrid controller performance with SEL

NREL Selects SEL Microgrid Controller for the Energy Systems Integration Facility

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) needed a highly flexible microgrid controller for its Energy Systems Integration Facility so it could test a wide range of devices and communications protocols under realistic conditions. To compare vendors, NREL ran a rigorous 21-week evaluation focused on performance, cybersecurity, and ease of modification, looking for a controller that could support advanced microgrid research without major custom development.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) supplied a microgrid controller built around an SEL Real-Time Automation Controller with POWERMAX Power Management and Control System Microgrid Libraries, plus an SEL-2740S Software-Defined Network Switch for cybersecurity. After more than 60 rounds of hardware-in-the-loop testing, SEL achieved the highest performance scores in NREL’s dual-stage CHIL/PHIL evaluation and showed no major security vulnerabilities, giving NREL a complete microgrid testbed for ongoing research.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Brian Miller

Strategic Team Lead for Microgrids