Development of an Energy Management System for AC/DC hybrid networks: From abstract functional requirements to the flexible tool

Alternating Current (AC) networks are the predominant technologies used to transmit and distribute electricity worldwide. However, the penetration of renewable sources and the decreasing costs in power electronics are making Direct Current (DC) systems a promising approach to increase energy efficiency, reliability, and resilience, while exploiting synergies with AC systems. Therefore, appropriate Energy Management Systems (EMS) are mandatory for achieving energy efficiency and economic profitability, which shall account for both AC and DC components and networks. Moreover, in practical applications, multiple different control methodologies have been proposed to manage power systems, with different simulation tools, development platforms and software tools, which rarely have the same interface. This study aims at proposing the generalized framework and the tool for the development of a flexible EMS, which could be easily interfaced with standard commercial tools, e.g. NEPLAN or PowerFactory. The theoretical and functional requirements of the methodology can lay the foundations for further research studies and the proposed results confirm the robustness of the methodology.