Cost-Effective DC Source Emulator for Microgrid Testing

About this technology

Overview

Testing complex DC microgrid systems traditionally requires recreating entire power architectures with actual hardware copies, a process that can take months or years and cost millions of dollars. This is especially challenging in aerospace applications where specialty components are expensive, scarce, or still under development. Researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed a practical methodology that enables engineers to emulate DC power sources using commercially available dynamic power supplies combined with custom-designed filters and external controllers. This hardware-in-the-loop approach uses impedance matching and external control circuits to replicate the electrical characteristics of any DC power source without requiring the actual hardware. By measuring or simulating the impedance of a target power source, engineers can design equivalent filter networks and tune controller gains to make standard lab equipment behave identically to specialized systems. This technique has been validated to TRL 7 and is actively used to define power supply requirements and specifications for NASA's Gateway lunar outpost program. The methodology reduces verification testing from millions of dollars and months of effort down to tens of thousands of dollars and weeks of timeline, enabling rapid iteration and troubleshooting without risking expensive flight hardware.