Microgrid Protection Student Laboratory: Human-Machine Interface and SCADA Database

The electric utility system, a ubiquitous and fundamental component of modern life, has changed more in the last 20 years than the last 100. With more homes and businesses installing distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar panels, battery storage, and other intermittent sources, massive changes need to take place in the electric transmission and distribution systems. Engineers must develop a new skill set for a modern utility industry. This project summarizes a component for a new laboratory class aimed at power engineering students at Cal Poly which supports the laboratory through the creation of a human-machine interface (HMI) and SCADA data concentrator. This HMI streamlines data-collection for laboratory experiments, giving instructors more flexibility when designing labs as data collection procedures are simplified, while the SCADA system serves as a platform to automate system processes in the microgrid, enabling the continuation of this project, developing methodology to automate and control the microgrid laboratory and create subsequent lab experiments on the control of the syste