Grid Modernization
HIL Testing Solutions
Ultra-high fidelity HIL simulation for digital substations, BESS, microgrids, and smart grid controls.
Grid Modernization Solutions
As the grid grows more complex — with distributed energy resources, digital substations, and grid-scale storage reshaping how power is generated, managed, and delivered — the pressure to validate control systems faster and with greater confidence has never been higher.
Typhoon HIL provides hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing solutions for the full spectrum of grid modernization applications: digital substations and IEC 61850 protection systems, battery energy storage (BESS), microgrids, residential energy systems, and distribution automation. With HIL Compatible® turnkey solutions, productized interfaces, pre-built component libraries, and test automation frameworks, we help OEMs, utilities, and system integrators accelerate validation, reduce project risk, and ensure compliance at every stage of development.
Digital Substations & IEC 61850
Protection engineers need to validate IEC 61850 communication, GOOSE messaging, and protection relay logic — without risking live equipment or waiting on field commissioning windows. Typhoon HIL provides a complete closed-loop simulation environment to test and validate substation automation systems before deployment.
- Test protection relay logic and trip behavior under realistic fault conditions
- Validate IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging and sampled values (SV) in real time
- Verify interoperability between IEDs from multiple vendors
- Automate regression testing across firmware versions
- Reduce commissioning time and on-site risk
Give your protection engineers the confidence to commission faster and with less risk.
Energy Storage Systems & BESS
Grid-scale BESS controllers must be validated across fault conditions, extreme voltages, and multi-layered communication stacks — without risking battery life or system safety. Typhoon HIL lets your team test every control layer from BMS logic to grid-side PCS and EMS in real time.
- Validate BMS, PCS, and EMS controllers in closed-loop real-time simulation
- Inject fault conditions — overvoltage, undervoltage, short circuit, communication loss — safely and repeatedly
- Verify grid compliance including frequency response, voltage ride-through, and reactive power capability
- Reduce development cost compared to Power HIL (P-HIL) and physical testbed setups
- Accelerate time to market with automated test suites and regression frameworks
Accelerate BESS validation and reduce development cost – from first firmware to final commissioning.
Microgrids
Modern microgrid projects require coordinating legacy and new assets — solar inverters, battery storage, generators, EV chargers — within a single control architecture. Typhoon HIL gives your team the tools to validate controllers, EMS platforms, and protection systems in both grid-tied and islanded modes before a single field visit.
- Verify microgrid controller behavior in grid-tied and islanded operating modes
- Test islanding detection and seamless transition sequences
- Validate DER coordination including PV, BESS, and dispatchable generation
- Test compliance with IEEE 1547 and local grid interconnection requirements
- Automate full commissioning test sequences and reduce on-site time
Eradicate interoperability issues early and arrive at commissioning ready to pass.
Distribution Automation
Distribution automation equipment — smart grid sensors, reclosers, IEDs, SCADA, and ADMS — must be validated in a closed-loop environment before field installation. Typhoon HIL gives your team the tools to test control algorithms, protection coordination, and communication protocols at scale.
- Validate fault detection, isolation, and service restoration (FDIR) logic
- Test protection coordination across multiple device types and topologies
- Verify SCADA and ADMS communication protocols and command-response behavior
- Simulate real-world grid conditions including DER interconnection and load variability
- Automate compliance testing for distribution system operators (DSOs) and utilities
Reduce the risk of operational failures and validate compliance before deployment.
Residential Energy Systems
Residential energy systems — solar inverters, home battery storage, EV chargers, and HEMS — must respond to dynamic pricing, demand response, and VPP commands across a wide range of real-world scenarios. Typhoon HIL gives your team the tools to validate control software comprehensively before a single unit reaches the field.
- Test solar inverter control logic under varying irradiance, grid voltage, and frequency conditions
- Validate home battery storage BMS and dispatch algorithms
- Simulate demand response and VPP command scenarios for HEMS controllers
- Test EV charger integration with home energy management and grid signals
- Reduce time to UL, IEEE 1547, and utility interconnection certification
Eliminate costly design flaws, reduce warranty risk, and accelerate time to certification.
Data Centers
As hyperscale and edge data centers become critical nodes in the modern grid, the power infrastructure supporting them — UPS systems, critical power switching, and grid-interactive load management — demands the same rigorous controller validation applied across grid modernization. Typhoon HIL is developing dedicated HIL testing solutions to bring that same validation capability to data center power infrastructure.
Contact us to learn more about upcoming data center power testing capabilities.
Explore Products for Grid Modernization
Frequently Asked Questions
What is C-HIL testing and how does it apply to grid modernization?
Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (C-HIL) testing connects a real controller under test to a high-fidelity virtual model of the power system it manages — such as a microgrid, substation, or BESS. The controller receives real-time analog and digital signals from the simulator and responds as it would in the field, allowing engineers to validate control algorithms, protection logic, and communication behavior without physical infrastructure. For grid modernization applications, C-HIL is especially valuable because it enables safe testing of fault scenarios, grid disturbances, and edge conditions that would be difficult or dangerous to replicate on live infrastructure.
How does Typhoon HIL support IEC 61850 compliance testing?
Typhoon HIL’s platform supports IEC 61850 — the international standard for communication in electrical substations — through built-in protocol support and pre-configured testbed solutions. Engineers can test protection relay behavior, GOOSE messaging, sampled values, and interoperability between IEDs from different vendors in a controlled HIL environment. This allows teams to validate compliance and catch protocol issues before physical substation commissioning, significantly reducing integration risk and project timelines.
Can Typhoon HIL be used to test battery energy storage (BESS) controllers?
Yes. Typhoon HIL provides dedicated HIL testing solutions for BESS controllers, covering every control layer — from cell-level BMS logic to system-level energy management and grid dispatch algorithms. The platform supports testing under extreme voltage conditions, communication faults, and complex grid scenarios such as frequency regulation and peak shaving events. Compared to Power HIL (P-HIL) approaches, C-HIL with Typhoon HIL significantly reduces test setup time and cost while delivering broader scenario coverage.
What microgrid applications does Typhoon HIL support?
Typhoon HIL supports the full spectrum of microgrid control and protection testing, including grid-connected and islanded operation modes, energy management system (EMS) validation, protection relay coordination, smart inverter control, and multi-source dispatch logic. The Microgrid HIL Testbed provides a pre-configured, ready-to-use testing environment that can interface with controllers from leading vendors. Typhoon HIL’s test automation capabilities allow teams to run hundreds of microgrid scenarios — including fault injection and load shedding events — automatically and repeatably.
How does HIL testing reduce risk in grid modernization projects?
Grid modernization projects involve integrating new digital equipment — protection relays, smart inverters, BESS, and energy management systems — into aging infrastructure that can’t be easily taken offline for testing. HIL testing creates a virtual replica of the power system environment, allowing engineers to validate equipment behavior, test interoperability, and simulate fault conditions in a safe lab setting before deployment. This eliminates costly commissioning surprises, accelerates project timelines, and provides documented test evidence that supports regulatory approval and client acceptance.
Faster R&D, Reduced Risk, and Accelerated Commissioning
Typhoon HIL is an outstanding partner for EPC Power. The collaboration is significantly speeding up R&D and certification efforts. In addition, the HIL Compatible® product helps our customers de-risking the projects and shortening the commissioning schedule, which is a win-win for everyone.
