With Treetech technology, USP and EDP inaugurate the first Laboratory of Smart Grids of Latin America

In a partnership with EDP, the ‘Escola Politécnica da USP’, through its Research Center in Electric Smart Grids (Nap-REI), has inaugurated, on August 31, the Laboratory of Smart Grids (LREI). The space, built in the building of the Center of Studies in Regulation and Quality of Power (Enerq) is the first of its type in Latin America, and counts on the technology of several companies of the electrical sector, including Treetech – there are two Voltage Regulator Relays (“AVR”) at the research center.

The official opening ceremony of LREI started at 9:00 a.m., at the Amphitheatre of the Building of Electric Engineering of “Escola Politécnica”, and counted on the participations of Miguel Setas, president of EDP Brasil, and idealizer of the project: Nelson Kagan, among other authorities of educational institutions and companies of the electric sector.

The Laboratory of Electric Smart Grids has a Virtual Operations Center, which simulates systems already existing in distributors in the country

Setas highlighted the importance of the new space to Brazil and to EDP: “The Smart Grids Laboratory has great relevant to EDP and to the Brazilian electric sector. That because studies and tests may be performed exhaustively and systematically, thus allowing the implementation of the features of intelligent electric networks, in real distribution networks. With this initiative, we hope to contribute with the implementation of the Smart Grids in the country, benefiting directly the customer with the optimization of the operation and with the offer of possible service solutions due to the Smart Grids”.

To Nelson Kagan, coordinator of Nap-REI, the structure shall suppress the existing demand of this type of research in Latin America, since it is a pioneer in the region. He also emphasizes that the existence of a laboratory allows the conduction of tests in a controlled environment before going to the field, which was common in the country, due to the inexistence of a research center of this type.

“Before, we had to wait for real failures in the networks to carry the studies. With the laboratory, we can simulate”.

In the presentation to the guests, Kagan determined as the main objectives of LREI the “prior and systemic analysis of the REIs features, the emulation of REIs with physical IEDs, integration and protocols of communication to IDEs and intelligent gauges, inter-operability of IT systems (legacy and new), the creation of a COD environment, and the allocation of reconnectors.

The event ended with a technical visit to the laboratory, which counts on a Virtual Operation Center, simulating existing systems of the distributors, and equipment that make devices and gauges – essential to the Smart Grid – have their operation emulated.

The Laboratory of Electric Smart Grids is from now on available to contributions of the electric sector as a whole, not being restricted to the academic universe.