Supergrid Architecture & Systems

“How should a supergrid system be technically designed and operated? The Supergrid Architecture and Systems research department aims to answer this question by developing control and protection concepts for HVDC systems, and by defining the requirements for the key components of the system.”
Bruno Luscan, Department Director – Supergrid Architecture & Systems
SuperGrid Institute’s experts work to overcome the technical challenges confronting DC grids. We develop technologies to control and protect the stability of HVDC and MVDC networks, which need to be much more dynamic than AC networks. Defining the requirements for the key components of DC grids or combined AC-DC power systems and designing and simulating the technical performance of these systems are key to our work.
We employ real-time, electromagnetic transient simulations with accurate, built-in models of power converter control systems to demonstrate how a system will perform when a new technology is integrated into the network (for example, a new protection strategy).

Recent publications
North Sea Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: DC Control Functional Requirements and Parameter Ranges for HVDC Building Blocks
This paper addresses several key DC grid control functional requirements.
North Sea Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: DC Protection Functional Requirements and Parameter Ranges for HVDC Building Blocks
A methodology to define functional requirements and parameter ranges for HVDC building blocks such as converters and switching stations based on Simplistic Test Benchmarks (STB).
Wind Power Hub pre-FEED study: HVDC grid active power loss and restoration requirements based on AC frequency stability assessment
In order to decarbonize the European electricity production, the European Commission set an ambitious target of 300 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050.