The "Microgrid Lab" researches the planning and operation of microgrid technologies from a techno-economic perspective, taking sector coupling into account. It is the first laboratory in Austria that combines economic, technical and operative parameters and enables the advanced development of microgrid planning and control algorithms. These are required for optimal design and reliable technical and economic operation. Microgrids are local multi-energy grids whose energy supplies for electricity, heating/cooling are decentrally generated and stored. The microgrid control system enables technologies and consumers to be regulated according to a wide range of specifications. The research findings are easily scalable for decentralized energy systems and energy communities and make a direct contribution to climate targets. The completed research project "Microgrid Lab 100%" was funded by the province of Lower Austria.

During the project, a positive evaluation of the in-house developed microgrid planning tool OptEnGrid was conducted based on the real use case at the Technology and Research Centre Wieselburg-Land. Moreover, an optimized supervisory control system was designed and implemented in the microgrid research laboratory. The developed and tested optimization algorithms process load data from the technology and research center (electricity, heating and cooling demand) on the one hand and generation data from the energy generation systems (PV system, wood chip systems ,..) as well as current storage states of the thermal and electrical storage systems on the other hand. The control algorithm developed ensures that the optimum result is achieved in accordance with the desired target function: (1.) maximum cost savings, (2.) maximum CO2 savings and (3.) grid serviceability (evaluation with regards to the grid).