California: UC San Diego has unveiled DERConnect, a cutting-edge testing laboratory on its La Jolla campus is funded by a $42 million National Science Foundation grant. The facility blends real-world hardware with advanced simulation tools, offering a “living laboratory” comprised of over 2,500 controllable energy devices. These include solar panels, EV chargers, smart plugs, batteries, fuel cells, microgrid infrastructure, data centre loads, and more.
At its core, DERConnect aims to enhance understanding of how distributed energy resources (DER) — such as solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and building loads — can be integrated and managed within modern power systems. The facility supports hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop experiments, enabling rigorous testing of controllers, algorithms, cybersecurity defences and real-time digital simulations. Engineers and researchers can examine the impact of renewables on grid stability, test smart grid control strategies, and simulate emergency scenarios including islanding, cybersecurity attacks or peak demand events.
Located within the already sophisticated UCSD microgrid—powered largely by combined heat and power, solar arrays and storage—DERConnect also includes the recently added DER Management System. This platform incorporates tools like fault-location, isolation and service restoration (FLISR), hosting capacity assessments, load-flexibility calculation, and virtual power plant (VPP) capabilities. It allows aggregation and coordination of distributed devices to mimic the behaviour of a full-scale utility grid.
Researchers can hook real controllers and equipment to the system, exposing them to simulated grid conditions at scale. They can evaluate AI-driven control algorithms to balance fluctuating renewable generation with consumer demand, explore cybersecurity vulnerabilities through attack simulations, and optimise energy use in buildings and data centres. The platform’s rich data streams also enable machine-learning applications to track performance, predict system behaviour and guide operational decision-making.
DERConnect is not just a test facility. It also serves as a training and innovation hub, offering opportunities for industry, utilities, academic partners and students to collaborate. An Innovation Centre on site supports rapid prototyping, joint R&D, education modules, and software–hardware validation. UCSD emphasises that no single organisation knows how future grids will look. From demand response to microgrid resilience and autonomous operation, achieving a low-carbon grid relies on platforms like this. DERConnect bridges the gap between laboratory theory and field deployment by providing realistic, large-scale testing at the device, network and system levels.
Ultimately, UCSD hopes DERConnect will accelerate the development and deployment of resilient, decentralised energy systems—smart grids that can handle increasing renewable penetration and electrification—while ensuring safety, reliability and economic viability.
Source: EEPower
