The transition to carbon-neutral energy production is one of the cornerstones for limiting global warming. Recent discussions about energy transition have focused on the "energy trilemma"—the need to find the right balance between affordability, reliability, and sustainability of energy.
Part of the solution is to strengthen the power grid for highly fluctuating distributed generation and feed-in from renewable energy sources. Siemens Energy is accomplishing this with solutions such as HVDC (high-voltage direct current transmission) and FACTS (flexible AC transmission).
The power grid of the future relies on power electronics and their control software. Therefore, the energy transition is also driven by software development. For this purpose, it is elementary to understand the grid as well as possible and to test the software thoroughly.
Working closely with MathWorks as a technology partner, Siemens Energy's Grid Solutions Control and Protection Department has extended Model-Based Design to study, develop, and verify complex power transmission systems. Simulating the plant on a desktop PC helps to "push left" in the v-model development cycle to test system behavior as early as possible with the same control software that is later deployed on hardware. This enables the development of a digital twin to analyze and understand fault scenarios and incorporate final system validation for the end customer with MathWorks products.
Leveraging this approach as an end-to-end development ecosystem helps in all phases of project execution—be it bidding, engineering, or system studies. Modern cloud-based CI/CD workflows extend this ecosystem to automate test and code generation and make it even more accessible to all engineers.
Using a model-based engineering ecosystem helps Siemens Energy provide answers and solutions to our customers and support them on their journey to clean and available energy for all.
