From Concept to Control Room: Our New Lab Facilities Driving the Future of Real-World Grid Intelligence

Introduction

As the power grid expands to accommodate new demands and technologies, the need for real-time intelligence, interoperability, and system resilience has never been greater. In this context, the infrastructure behind innovation is just as important as the innovation itself.

To meet this challenge head-on, we’ve built a state-of-the-art digital grid lab environment — a living testbed designed not just to simulate the future of the grid, but also to shape it. From industrial edge servers to IoT infrastructure and digital grid simulators, our new facility is more than a technical showcase; it’s a platform where, together with our partner utilities and OEMs, we can validate, align, and accelerate digital grid strategies and technology deployment.

This article offers a first look into our lab’s capabilities, its role in driving accelerated deployment and interoperability, and why it represents a major step forward for the digital grid ecosystem.

A Closer Look: Our Digital Grid Lab Infrastructure

Our lab has been designed from the ground up to simulate, test, and operate the next generation of power system technologies — in real time, under real conditions.

At the core is a fully equipped rack housing a layered digital architecture, purpose-built to bridge the physical grid with its digital counterpart. Each component plays a distinct role in enabling real-time data flow, hybrid computing, and device-to-cloud orchestration.

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Here’s a breakdown of what powers our lab environment:

·      Ethernet Switch & Communications Systems: High-performance industrial-grade Ethernet switches and comms modules ensure deterministic and low-latency data exchange across the stack. These support protocols like IEC61850, Modbus TCP, MQTT, and OPC-UA for broad interoperability with utility and OEM hardware.

·      Time Sync Units: Precision time synchronisation (e.g., via IEEE 1588 PTP) allows alignment of measurements and control actions — a foundational requirement for real-time responses, event logging, and distributed intelligence at scale.

·      HMIs: Our human-machine interfaces (HMIs) provide real-time visibility into the digital grid stack, hosting operational dashboards for our Omega suite modules — including Aware, Optisys, and Control. Through these interfaces, users can monitor substation behaviour, optimisation actions, and live control signals with full temporal context. Beyond application-level views, the HMIs also provide access to system configuration panels, enabling real-time tuning, firmware management, and network diagnostics. For virtualisation workflows, they can connect directly to hypervisor consoles, offering full visibility into VM deployments, container orchestration, and system resource allocation — all within a unified monitoring environment. This layered visibility is critical for both testing and operations, enabling users to trace data and control flows from edge hardware through to cloud analytics.

·      Multiple Substation Servers: These high-performance industrial servers form the backbone of our edge compute environment. Far beyond static replicas, they serve as robust platforms for hosting a wide range of applications — including our Omega suite (Aware, Optisys, Control), third-party services, and custom-built utility workloads. Each server runs on a hypervisor-based architecture, allowing us to spin up multiple virtual machines (VMs) or deploy containerised applications independently. This makes the lab ideal for testing deployment strategies, isolating services, and experimenting with versioning or failover logic. The fleet includes hardware such as Dell PowerEdge XR12, XR4000, and Advantech ECU-759, all of which are hardened for industrial substation environments. We maintain multiple units to support redundancy strategies, high-availability scenarios, and parallel testing of distinct architectures — a must-have for validating production-grade control systems before rollout.

·      Real-Time Simulator: Our real-time digital simulator enables dynamic modelling of power system behaviour with millisecond-level precision. It’s essential for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) testing, allowing us to connect physical devices —such as relays, controllers, or edge gateways — to simulated grid environments and validate their response in real time. Our setup includes platforms like Typhoon HIL, providing high-fidelity, closed-loop simulation capabilities specifically for control systems and power electronics. Beyond testing, the simulator supports grid-edge control validation and is a valuable tool for generating synthetic datasets used to train and validate AI/ML models for fault detection, predictive analytics, and grid optimisation. It’s a safe, flexible environment for prototyping, validating, and scaling new technologies.

·      Industrial PCs: While our substation servers provide the horsepower for core applications and virtualised services, our industrial PCs fill a critical niche: testing and validating applications intended for lower-spec environments, such as secondary substations or field-deployed control cabinets. These compact, ruggedised systems allow us to simulate edge deployments with tighter compute, memory, and energy constraints — ensuring that lightweight apps, protocol bridges, or monitoring agents perform reliably under real-world conditions. They’re particularly valuable for testing MQTT-based messaging, lightweight analytics, or IEC 104/ Modbus conversion in resource-limited setups. Our current testbed includes Dell and Advantech hardware, configured for both standalone and networked scenarios, offering a flexible platform to validate full edge-to-cloud workflows at various performance tiers.

·      IoT: The IoT layer forms the bridge between the digital stack and the physical world. It’s built to support a wide range of interfacing scenarios — from simple sensor emulation to advanced real-time control of field assets. Our setup includes everything from Raspberry Pi units for lightweight protocol testing and edge publishing, to CompactRIO systems from National Instruments, which offer real-time, deterministic control with high-speed I/O. This mix allows us to simulate both low-power remote sensors and high-performance field controllers. The lab also incorporates signal generators, analogue and digital I/O expansion modules, and a variety of fieldbus converters to replicate data flows from temperature sensors, current transformers, and actuator feedback. These components are critical for validating time-series ingestion, edge compute triggers, and closed-loop control logic — under conditions that mimic real deployment environments.

Designed for Deployment: Practical Grid Applications in Action

Our lab was built to operate, iterate, and accelerate the technologies shaping the future of grid infrastructure. In this section, we highlight real-world applications that demonstrate why this environment matters — and how it delivers great value to both OEMs and utility partners alike. Whether it’s validating multi-vendor interoperability, stress-testing control logic under real-time constraints, or generating datasets to train AI-driven applications, the lab provides a platform where theory becomes practice. Each example illustrates how we move from simulation to deployment, ensuring that what works in the lab is ready for the grid.

Use Case # 1 –Accelerated Innovation-to-Deployment Pipeline

The typical route from concept to deployment in the power industry is long and often fragmented. Ideas move from development into pilot phases — usually within utility-controlled sandboxes — where testing is limited by scheduling, integration risk, and the availability of real-world assets. As shown in the diagram below, this conventional approach introduces delays and uncertainty at critical stages:

Our lab-enabled approach fundamentally changes this. Instead of waiting for field pilots to validate performance, interoperability, or control logic, we bring those steps into the lab —enabling iterative testing, HIL and SIL, and real-time simulations from day one. The result is a development loop where new control schemes, edge applications, and firmware can be continuously validated against simulated grid behaviour under realistic conditions.

This not only reduces time-to-deployment but also improves quality, reliability, and field-readiness. OEMs can fine-tune their systems in an environment that mirrors real infrastructure, while utilities can confidently assess how new solutions will perform before anything touches the grid.

Use Case #2 –Interoperability Across Devices and Systems

At the core of our lab’s value is its ability to bring everything — and everyone — together. Through the integration of the Omega suite, we’ve built a fully interoperable, multi-protocol environment where utilities, OEMs, and developers can test and validate their solutions across a rich and dynamic digital grid landscape.

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In this setup, SMPnet’s multi-protocol gateway acts as the universal translator, allowing seamless communication across a diverse array of systems. We can connect OEM devices such as IEDs and protection relays to virtual machines running grid applications, synchronise them with real-time simulators and digital twins, and interface the entire stack with both cloud platforms and edge devices via protocols like IEC 61850, DNP3,104, MODBUS, MQTT, and REST/gRPC.

This environment allows us to simulate any communication route, from device-to-cloud, VM-to-VM, or gateway-to-OEM, over any supported protocol. It’s not just about making connections— it’s about validating performance and resilience.

We continuously monitor latency, packet loss, synchronisation drift, and data quality, enabling precise diagnostics and tuning. Furthermore, we can simulate and test redundant paths, failover logic, and quality-of-service(QoS) parameters — key aspects for deploying robust, fault-tolerant systems in live substations.

The lab serves as a frictionless, real-time testbed where OEM devices can be validated for compatibility, and utility systems can be assessed for integration readiness — ensuring interoperability is not just claimed, but demonstrably achieved.

Use Case #3 –Hybrid Architectures in Practice

Modern grid applications rarely live in just one place— and neither do the challenges they must solve. In our lab, we can deploy and test a full spectrum of edge and cloud architectures, ranging from local-only control schemes to advanced cloud-supervised coordination. The diagram below illustrates four representative deployment models, all of which can be devised, validated, and optimised within our environment:

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·       Edge Only: Control and analytics are executed entirely at the substation. This configuration is ideal for latency-critical applications or locations with limited connectivity.

·       Edge to Edge Coordination: Multiple substations communicate directly to coordinate distributed operations such as DER optimisation, dispatch and control, without needing to route decisions through the cloud.

·       Edge–Cloud Workload Split: Computational tasks are divided between the edge (for real-time response) and the cloud (for analytics, forecasting, or fleet-wide orchestration). This allows for dynamic scaling and intelligent resource allocation based on timing constraints and system needs.

·       Edge with Cloud Oversight: The edge remains in full control, but the cloud plays a supervisory role — monitoring operations, suggesting reconfigurations, or issuing policy updates.

Across all these configurations, we’re able to test performance, tune workload distribution, and simulate failover scenarios — including the ability to switch between servers or virtual instances for redundancy and resilience. Whether the application is edge-native, hybrid, or cloud-augmented, our lab ensures it performs as expected across the full control architecture.

Other Use Cases Enabled by the Lab

Beyond the scenarios already discussed, our lab supports a diverse range of advanced testing and integration workflows. These additional use cases reflect the broader utility of the platform — enabling innovation, validation, and deployment across every layer of the digital grid stack. From AI training to multi-vendor system integration, the lab provides a flexible, risk-free environment to experiment, refine, and prove what works.

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·       Use Case #4 – AI Training Using Real-Time Simulated Data: Using digital twins and programmable simulators, the lab generates high-fidelity, event-rich datasets to train and validate AI models. These datasets cover edge cases — such as voltage dips, faults, or DER-induced events— that are difficult to capture in the field. This accelerates the development of AI-driven analytics and control strategies with clean, labelled data. Models can be trained and tested under known conditions, then seamlessly transitioned to real-world environments.

·       Use Case #5 – Grid Co-Integration Opportunities: Our lab enables external stakeholders — including OEMs and utilities — to test their devices, algorithms, or software modules in a safe, isolated, and standards-compliant environment. By supporting plug-and-play integration via common protocols, partners can validate their solutions against realistic grid scenarios. This model supports secure experimentation and feedback loops, from logic validation to performance benchmarking, accelerating collaboration without ownership complexity.

·      Use Case #6 – Hardware- and Software-in-the-Loop Testing (HIL/SIL): The lab supports real-time interaction between simulated grids and both physical and virtual control systems. HIL testing allows physical devices controllers and IEDs to react to simulated grid events, while SIL workflows enable full-stack testing within virtual machines. This setup makes it possible to validate behaviour, measure response times, and inject faults to test protection schemes — all before deployment. It’s a critical capability for de-risking rollout of both new devices and software upgrades.

·      Use Case #7 – System Integration Validation: Complex grid systems often involve multi-vendor hardware and layered communications. Our lab replicates this environment, allowing end-to-end validation of how different components interact — from field devices to SCADA interfaces and cloud analytics. We test protocol compatibility, control signal integrity, and timing synchronisation across the stack. Integration risks are surfaced early, making the transition from lab to field smoother, faster, and more predictable for both OEMs and utilities.

Looking Ahead: A Platform for the Future Grid

As the grid evolves, so must the way we design, validate, and deploy the technologies that support it. Our lab isn’t just a test environment — it’s an operational-scale platform for accelerating integration, improving system resilience, and bridging the gap between concept and real-world implementation.

We welcome OEMs looking to validate device behaviour and integration strategies, and utilities aiming to prototype, stress-test, or deploy new grid intelligence capabilities. Whether you’re working on advanced control logic, protocol compatibility, or AI-driven insights, the lab is ready to help bring your solution to life — faster, safer, and with confidence.

Get in touch. Let’s test, build, and deploy the future — together.

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