A new EU-funded project – InterSCADA – will develop and provide 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. This will enable distribution and transmission system operators across Europe to quickly adapt to sudden system perturbations, implement new monitoring and control functions, and maintain situational awareness.

This ability to deal with dynamic grid situations is particularly important as the European energy sector is seeking to reduce CO₂ emissions and increase independence from imports, through power generation from renewable resources, especially wind power and photovoltaics. Renewables require not just connection to power grids via electronic converters, but also the construction of DC lines and subnetworks, meaning European power systems are increasingly hybrid AC/DC. Yet, maintaining system stability and situational awareness in such hybrid systems is a challenge for operators on both distribution and transmission levels.

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.

“Cooperation is key for innovating with impact, and so we work alongside different energy stakeholders both from the project team and beyond. 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” stated Project Coordinator Professor Antonello Monti, Head of Energy System Automation at the Fraunhofer Center for Digital Energy, at the kick-off meeting last week in Brussels.

InterSCADA (Interoperable, Scalable and seCure AC-DC modular Automation system) is an EU co-funded Horizon project running from October 2024 to September 2027. It involves 18 partners from 9 EU countries and Taiwan.