Technical Talks

11:30 – 12:00

MathWorks

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The requirements imposed by EU Grid Codes on inverters, converters, and interconnection systems in distributed energy resource (DER) systems are becoming increasingly stringent. The need for synchronization generation is paramount. Converter tests during the design and validation phases are becoming increasingly complex, demanding more resources and requiring more sophisticated, power-scaled test systems.

In this context, the appearance of unexpected instabilities and resonances in the power flow during test execution can be a major headache in the laboratory. Understanding factors such as impedance coupling and the interaction between control loops of the test systems and the DUT, as well as the control loop parameters of the equipment, are key to mitigating these issues.

This technical talk explains the main factors causing these instabilities, how they can appear in different types and topologies of tests, and mitigation strategies.

His experience, combined with knowledge of a broad portfolio of leading instrumentation manufacturers, allows him to help engineers select and apply the most appropriate measurement solutions for their development, testing, and validation challenges.

The growing complexity of today's electronic systems, driven by the adoption of wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC and GaN), the electrification of multiple industrial sectors, and the digitalization of development processes, poses new challenges in the design, validation, and certification stages.

This presentation offers a practical overview of the most relevant trends in electronic instrumentation applied to the development of power converters, high-speed electronic systems, and advanced industrial applications. The main challenges associated with the characterization of SiC and GaN devices will be addressed, including high-speed signal measurement, dynamic switching losses, parasitic phenomena, and power integrity.

Likewise, the role of EMC pre-compliance techniques will be analyzed as a tool to reduce risks and costs during the design process, demonstrating measurement strategies that allow identifying and correcting emissions and immunity problems before the final certification phase. Finally, it will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to be integrated into modern instrumentation to accelerate the interpretation of results, automate measurement processes, and assist the engineer in complex diagnostic and characterization tasks. The presentation will combine technical fundamentals with practical examples of instrumentation selection and real application cases, providing a current view of how intelligent instrumentation is transforming the development of future electronic systems. During SAAEI 2026, Datatec will offer live demonstrations of new instruments from Keysight, Tektronix, Keithley, Elektro Automatik, Siglent, emiGo, or PicoTech, among others.

This presentation explains why precise efficiency verification is essential in modern power electronics and how measurement uncertainty can obscure genuine design improvements. At today’s converter efficiencies (typically 98–99.5%), optimization steps of only 0.1–0.3% require instruments and methods with uncertainty well below the targeted gain. The talk highlights key challenges—high-frequency switching with SiC/GaN, tight voltage-current time alignment, low power factor sensitivity to phase error, distorted PWM waveforms with harmonics, and synchronization demands in multiphase systems (including correct star/delta handling). It argues that dedicated precision power analyzers provide continuous, cycle-synchronized sampling, wide bandwidth, high accuracy, and multi-channel grouping capabilities that oscilloscopes and multimeters cannot match for repeatable efficiency testing. Application examples span EV drivetrains, solar inverters, data-center server PSUs and 80 PLUS certification, solid-state transformers, conventional transformers, and UPS systems, concluding with wiring and configuration best practices to avoid systematic errors.

Hybrid microgrids, composed of distributed energy resources such as renewable generation, storage, and conventional generators, require robust control strategies to ensure safe and reliable operation across different operating modes. In particular, transitions between modes—such as switching to islanded operation, resynchronizing with the main grid, or black starting—constitute critical situations where system performance fundamentally depends on the control design.

This presentation details a state machine-based approach for transition control design, which formalizes the behavior of the microgrid controller by explicitly defining states and operating sequences. This approach reduces ambiguity in control implementation and facilitates the development of coherent strategies for different operating scenarios, aligned with standards such as IEEE 2030.7.

Additionally, the systematic validation of the microgrid through simulation is addressed, using detailed models within physical modeling environments. Scenario verification strategies are presented to evaluate the controller's behavior against both planned and unplanned conditions, including faults, disturbances, and topology changes. This process makes it possible to verify compliance with grid requirements and codes, as well as to guarantee the stability of key variables such as voltage, frequency, and power during transitions.

The results demonstrate how the combination of state machine-based design and automated scenario validation significantly contributes to enhancing the robustness, safety, and resilience of industrial microgrids, providing a systematic methodology from design through to implementation.