InterSCADA launched to enhance energy control systems
Image: Fraunhofer Center Digital Energy
The Horizon Europe supported InterSCADA project is aimed to enhance energy control systems to ensure power grid stability under different generation resources.
InterSCADA (Interoperable, Scalable and seCure AC-DC modular Automation system) is proposed to develop an open source, vendor independent software framework corresponding to a modular SCADA platform for the analysis and control of hybrid AC/DC power grids at multiple voltage levels.
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar need to be connected to power grids using electronic converters and also require building DC lines and smaller networks.
With this modern power systems are increasingly a mix of AC and DC, but keeping such hybrid systems stable and running smoothly is a challenge for operators at both the distribution and transmission levels.
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“Cooperation is key for innovating with impact, and so we work alongside different energy stakeholders both from the project team and beyond,” stated Professor Antonello Monti, Head of Energy System Automation at the Fraunhofer Centre for Digital Energy and project coordinator.
“Together, we will bridge the gap between AC and DC control systems with an open, modular, and adaptable solutions and see how we can drive these innovations forward.”
The new InterSCADA platform will be deployed and tested in 4 European countries, France, Greece, Italy and Spain.
The goal is to ensure the solutions envisaged are replicable in diverse geographical settings as well as against different regulatory and technical requirements.
Eamonn Lannoye, managing director of EPRI Europe, one of the project participants, describes the InterSCADA approach as “like a smart traffic control system that can handle both cars and bikes on the same road, making sure everything flows without problems”.
To this end, EPRI Europe’s contribution soi focussed on analysing current methods for managing and controlling hybrid AC/DC power systems, identifying areas for technical and regulatory improvement and proposing a new architecture to enhance the effectiveness of SCADA systems.
The InterSCADA project was launched in October 2024 with €6 million (US$6.3 million) in Horizon Europe funding and runs for 36 months to September 2027 involving 18 partners from nine EU countries and Taiwan.
