Country: Belgium

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Description: EnergyVille is an association of the Flemish research institutes KU Leuven, VITO, imec and UHasselt in the field of sustainable energy and intelligent energy systems. Our researchers provide expertise to industry and public authorities on energy-efficient buildings and intelligent networks for a sustainable urban environment. This includes, for example, smart grids and advanced district heating and cooling.
One of the objectives of EnergyVille is to become one of the top five European institutes in innovative energy research. In this context, the center was embedded in major national and international networks right from the start. It covers research, development, training and innovative industrial activities under one name and in close collaboration with local, regional and international partners.
EnergyVille aims to be a driver in the Thor science park in Genk in the areas of research, business development and employment creation. The research center is supported by the city of Genk, the Flemish Government, LRM, POM Limburg and the European structural funds.

Facilities

Matrix Laboratory

Description: Offer of the lab: Measure the electrical and mechanical characteristics of your electro-technical equipment, power electronic devices and solar panels.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Polyline Medium-Voltage Smart Energy System Lab

Description: Offer of the lab: Test your medium-voltage smart-grid equipment in a three-phase synthetic grid up to the 50th harmonic in realistic condition.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Metrological facilities for (building integrated) photovoltaics

Description: Offer of the lab: Characterise the electrical and thermal behaviour of your photovoltaic modules for building-applied and building-integrated applications.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Smart Grid Lab

Description: The EnergyVille Real-Time Lab is a multifunctional lab with grid emulator capabilities. Our detailed real-time power system simulators enable testing grid control functionality in close to real-life system conditions.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Thermo Technical Laboratory

Description: The EnergyVille Thermo Technical Lab is a multifunctional laboratory for static and dynamic tests The EnergyVille Thermo Technical Lab is one of the major research facilities of this knowledge center. It is a multifunctional equipped laboratory infrastructure in which static and dynamic tests on thermal systems (heating and cooling) can be performed. The laboratory is controlled and measured by an industrial PLC infrastructure, linked to a SCADA package. The devices can be connected directly to the EnergyVille Smart Grid Infrastructure Lab.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Smart Grid Infrastructure Laboratory

Description: The EnergyVille Smart Grid Infrastructure Lab is a platform for testing smart grid products and systems.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Home Laboratory

Description: The EnergyVille Home Lab infrastructure is a testing facility where industrial partners can perform technology validation for home energy management systems, residential demand response technology and in home communication technology.
The Linear pilot tested its newly developed and deployed residential demand response technology in this Home Lab. Also Intelligator®, a hierarchical market based demand response control mechanism, was developed and tested here.
For each of the two households, the electrical conditions can be controlled and measured in high detail and with high reproducibility.
More information and technical specifications (PDF)

Battery Testing Laboratory

Description: Storage can smoothen the intermittent electricity production and improve demand supply matching. Electrical energy storage technologies are vital in making transport and industrial activities more sustainable.
The actual performance and lifetime of a specific application can only be determined by testing.
Batteries and ultra-capacitors exist in many types. Selecting the optimal one for an application is a complex matter, moreover since within each chemistry type (Lithium-Ion, Nickel-metal hydride…) exist several subtypes.
EnergyVille can perform tests according to any customer specified profile. We have elaborate experience in developing custom efficiency test procedures that are equivalent to actual application cycles (electric vehicles, solar batteries…).
More information and technical specifications (PDF)
Testing Services
Among others, the following tests can be performed in EnergyVille Laboratories. For all details, please consider the technical specification sheets of each laboratory.

Matrix laboratory:

  • Solar panels and their ancillaries, in controlled climate and irradiation conditions
  • Electrical motor, transformer or generator behaviour and efficiency that is subject to variable power and load curves
  • Interaction between multiple devices and energy modalities
  • Calibration of power meters

Polyline Medium-Voltage Smart Energy System Laboratory:

  • Measurement of voltage and selected current levels on a 36kV 3-phase / 100 kV 1-phase installation
  • Surge voltage measurements
  • Partial discharge measurements of components (AC + DC)
  • Pre-certification testing to the applicable standards

Metrological facilities for (building integrated) photovoltaics:

  • Energy yield and performance ratio in outdoor climatological conditions
  • Tests under controlled climatic and irradiation conditions (cfr IEC 61215 and IEC 61646 standards)
  • Detailed power loss analysis (e.g. temperature dependency of energy yield, ventilation impact)
  • PV: (Hygro)thermal and ventilation air flow tests for building-integrated applications [Metrological facilities for (building integrated) photovoltaics]
  • Simulation for PV: Transient opto-electro-thermal behaviour of your PV module
  • Simulation for PV: Interaction of your BAPV or BIPV modules with the electrical and thermal energy flows in buildings (cfr. IDEAS)

Smart Grid lab:

  • Expertise on power system modelling (especially HVDC)
  • Protection relay testing (including IEC 61850)
  • Power Hardware in the Loop (P-HIL) testing through a virtual grid integration of new components (e.g. converters, battery systems, …)

Thermo Technical Laboratory:

  • Highly accurate measurements of:
    • Relevant emissions
    • Energetic performance
    • Fast response dynamic measurements
  • Dynamic tests of:
    • Boilers, burners, control systems, hot tap water appliances…
    • Cogeneration units: engines, turbines, ÎĽCHP’s, ORC’s,…
    • Heat pump systems
    • Thermal energy storage systems (both sensible and latent heat)
    • Combinations of systems: heat pumps and thermal energy storage, combined heat and power and thermal energy storage, distributed thermal energy storage, sorption systems
  • Energy system combination: f.i. a boiler combined with cogeneration and a storage tank

Smart Grid Infrastructure Lab:

  • Power line communication systems in distorted grids
  • Long-term automated cycling of Li-ion batteries and reference performance tests
  • Research on low voltage distribution grids with a high amount of renewable energy sources:
    • Development & test of VITO Intelligator®: an agent based control algorithm to match supply and demand of energy.
    • Power quality: voltage dips, phase unbalance, harmonic distortions
    • Voltage droop control: taking grid constraints into account by power adjustments
    • Inverter control algorithms for unbalanced grid conditions
  • Data analysis:
    • Different energy flows (V, I, cosφ,..) are logged in a dedicated SCADA system
    • Accurate high speed PQ measurements according to EN 50160.

Battery Testing Laboratory:

  • Performance and lifetime tests according to international standards:
    • Static capacity tests at various discharge currents
    • Constant power discharge tests
    • Hybrid pulse power characterisation tests
    • Self-discharge tests
    • Cold cranking tests
    • Thermal performance tests
    • Energy-efficiency tests
    • Charge sustaining cycle life tests
    • Charge depleting cycle life tests
    • Calendar life tests
Standards Compliance
Among others, tests along the following standards can be performed by the EnergyVille laboratories:

  • IEC 61215
  • IEC 61646
  • IEC 61850
  • EN 50160

last updated:13.04.2017

VITO / EnergyVille