With FAPESP funding, through the Thematic Project “Interdisciplinary Research on Intelligent Electricity Grids”, the Laboratory of Intelligent Electric Grids – LabREI – started operating in August 2019.
The Project aims to conduct research in the area of smart electricity microgrids, focusing on energy distribution networks.
The effective realization of an intelligent electric power grid depends on the strong interaction between research in the areas of: power systems, alternative energy sources, power electronics, networked control systems, optimization, communication and information networks. The team brings together highly qualified researchers in all these areas, with 11 professors from FEEC, four from ICTS of UNESP (Sorocaba) and one from UFABC.
LabREI creates a laboratory environment in which experimental checks can be carried out that follow theoretical and computational studies and precede field applications. Such an environment has programmable sources and loads, totaling more than 50 kW of programmable loads and sources (PV and batteries) in order to reproduce typical scenarios of low voltage distribution networks. In the commissioning phase, the laboratory started the characterization phase of its electrical network, consisting of about 400 linear meters of 35 mm2 cables, in three-phase connection to four conductors in a 13 bus system, which can hold up to 12 consumer units.
In addition to serving as an environment for academic activities, LabREI will be open to other users, especially companies and research institutions in the Campinas and Sorocaba regions, many of whom work intensively in the area of smart grids.