Research & Testing

Suite of services provided by the facility:

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Emulation of a utility-scale, high-power, high-voltage Point of Interconnection (POI)

  • Capability of emulating DC-AC voltages from 500 V to 33.3 kV
  • Capability of representing up to 10 MW of power exchange between an emulated version of a utility and power-distribution systems on both AC and DC side
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Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) testing of hardware-implemented control solutions before field implementation

  • Capability of testing fast local control systems dedicated for operation of energy storage systems, solar-PV units, wind turbines, EV-charging stations, G2V and V2G
  • Capability of testing wide-area control solutions for management of power systems
  • Capability of testing wide range of communication mediums, e.g., IEC-61850 compliance, for supervisory control and remote management of distributed energy resources
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High-Performance-Computing (HPC) capability for power system big data analysis and visualizations

  • Testing the emerging concepts of AI, Machine Learning, and IT over a real-time simulated version of a power system with high fidelity
  • Real-time data accumulation from Independent System-Operator (ISO) for system forecasting studies and market analysis
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Real-time simulation of large electrical energy systems

  • Capability of simulating electrical energy systems (grid) in any location worldwide at generation, transmission, and distribution levels, with diverse range of renewable energies, energy storage systems, EV-charging stations, G2V and V2G, and other power system apparatus
  • Capability of real-time simulation of power system events over wide range of operation time frames, from nanoseconds to multiple hours
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Cyber-security related analysis between supervisory control systems, energy management units and electrical energy systems

  • Capability of analyzing various cyber-secured protocols over physical gateways from the electrical energy asset all the way to the power system operator and dispatch centre
  • Pre-field test of cyberattacks with minimum discrepancy from physical power system
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Capability of emulating various types of distributed-energy-resources at the exact same voltage and power ratings as the physical system

  • Capability of emulating solar-PV units with precise characteristic representation of the physical system
  • Capability of emulating Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
  • Capability of emulating Electric-Vehicle chargers and supply equipment

Climate Positive Energy has integrated into the Lawson Climate Institute.

Integration of the Climate Positive Energy Initiative (CPE) into the Lawson Climate Institute (LCI) represents a strategic evolution that amplifies University of Toronto’s collective impact on climate solutions. CPE's established expertise in sustainable energy research and innovation becomes a cornerstone of the Lawson Climate Institute's comprehensive mandate to address the climate crisis through technology, policy, and education.

Existing and ongoing grants, research projects, partnerships, and other activity under Climate Positive Energy will continue uninterrupted and will transition to operate under the Lawson Climate Institute brand in the coming months.