GRANT12858037: Distributed Control of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Cyber Attack Modeling Testbed (Supplement)

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) have widely been deployed in smart grid systems over the past decade and traditional centralized control approaches do not provide flexibility nor security in control of these inherently distributed DERs. In addition, cybersecurity is a serious challenge in cyber-physical systems, including naval microgrids and smart grids. Through a recent projectfunded by the 2020 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), the investigator proposed the acquisition of a high-performance distributed control testbed to facilitate distributed control implementation, hardware tests, and cyber-attack modeling and analysis in power systems and naval microgrids. The testbed includes a real-time simulator and a poweramplifier to be connected to the existing facility for hardware validations and developments of microgrids for Naval Ship- board Power Systems (SPS). Since the original request for the testbed was based on a quotation which no longer is valid, additional funding is requested in this proposal to finalize the acquisition of the testbed. The testbed, currently unavailable at any of Penn State campuses, will enable new research areas in development and testing of distributed controllers for DERs using communications between neighbors, modeling of cyber-attacks in cyber-physical systems, big data analytics application to naval power systems, and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL)1 tests of a microgrid resembling naval power system for platform-level energy storage applicationand modular control algorithm design.Past support from the DURIP program helped the Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) microgrid laboratory at Penn State Harrisburg (PSH) to develop a plug-and-play 45kW microgrid system, which facilitates integration of new components/technologies to the system with minimum modification of the system. The existing system resembles a naval micrgorid system, except forthe propulsion system and controller that are absent in the existing facility. Therefore, the research capability of the existing system in the area of interest of DoD is limited. Additional funding requested through this proposal along with the 2020 DURIP award will enable acquisition of an advanced testbed to build upon the existing facility and exploration of new research areas, which not only align with the naval power systems technology development roadmap, butalso will eventually enhance the research quality at Penn State.Since the existing structure of the PSH microrgrid laboratory supports the plug-and-play feature, the proposed instrument is interfaced with the existing facility directly. Finally, as the proposed testbed integrates multiple hardware/software components, the components can be updated as needed. Therefore, the proposed instrument will be useful for a long time.