Dr. Beibei Ren, Larry and Nancy McVay Endowed Professor in Engineering at Texas Tech University, has built up a reconfigurable and reprogrammable smart grid testbed with 108 SYNDEM Smart Grid Research and Educational Kits.

Main features:

• Organized in 12 microgrids and a substation
• Reconfigurable at the device level and the systems level
• Reprogrammable and open-source
• Auto-code generation
• Suitable for validation of algorithms at all levels, such as control of power electronic converters, integration of distributed energy resources, coordination and operation of multiple power electronic converters, grid management, communication and cybersecurity

With partial support of the Department of Energy, Syndem has completed the field tests of its Virtual Synchronous Machines (VSM) Technologies with 20 converters working together autonomously, with or without the utility grid.

Main features:

• Syndem's own Smart Grid Research and Educational Kits were reconfigured and reprogrammed with its VSM technologies for the tests
• Connected to PV panels outside and batteries inside the container
• Interfaced with the grid through a transformer
• Capable of blackstart
• Autonomous voltage and frequency regulation
• Islanding detection and automatic disconnection from the utility grid
• Automatic synchronization/connection when the utility grid appears
  

SYNDEM converters are adopted to power a smart home in Texas. The home grid consists of four solar inverters, one wind inverter, and one converter for grid integration. All the inverters are storage ready and the home grid can be connected to the grid or islanded from the grid.

Main features:

• 12 kW rooftop solar panels
• one 3 kW wind turbine
• 22 kWh battery storage
• autonomous voltage and frequency regulation
  
• islanding detection and automatic disconnection from the utility grid
• automatic synchronization/connection when the utility grid appears
  

Using eight SYNDEM Smart Grid Research and Educational Kits, the Dynamic Intelligent Systems, Control and Optimization (DISCO) Group at Texas Tech University has built up a 100% power-electronic-converters-based microgrid.

Main features:

• Eight kits are coupled together on the AC side to form an AC bus
• One wind simulator (motor-generator set)
  
• One set of solar panels
• One diesel generator
• One battery pack
• Two nodes of loads
• Two nodes for connection to the utility grid