This simulator models a grid-connected stationary storage rack and bidirectional power conversion system (PCS) at a fixed 720 V DC bus, dispatched to serve a site with its own load and local solar generation. Choose a dispatch objective, set the converter power limit and SOC reserve, and watch how power and energy flow between solar, storage, the site load and the grid connection.
• A real-time 3D workbench of the storage system — rack modules with branch protection, a bidirectional power conversion system, a point-of-connection meter, local solar generation, the utility point of connection and facility demand — with toggleable enclosure, auto-rotate, exploded view and selectable, callout-labeled parts. • Experiment controls: initial SOC and nominal stored energy (50–600 kWh), site electrical load and local solar generation (0–250 kW each), a dispatch-mode selector (follow net site load, limit grid import, manual dispatch), a manual dispatch power control, converter power limit, import target for peak shaving, and minimum SOC reserve. • Start/stop actions to begin the trial or open the external circuit, plus pause, single-step (1 s) and 60 s advance, with playback from real time up to one hour per second. • A live sequence readout, switch-state tokens and status readings. • An Analysis tab with power/SOC/current history charts, the dispatch and efficiency model equations, and snapshot measurements of stored energy fraction, battery AC output, grid import/export, converter loss, net AC energy out and DC current. • A Test & diagnose tab with four guided experiments (peak demand, solar surplus, power limited, reserve reached), a model-verification bench, and a timestamped event log with trial report export. • A Learn & assess tab with four lessons, a two-question knowledge-check quiz, and a written model-scope statement with a reference link.
Self-consumption mode follows net site load — load minus local solar — charging on a surplus and discharging on a deficit. Peak-shaving mode only offsets the portion of net demand above a chosen grid-import target, so it acts as a cap on utility import rather than tracking the full net load. Manual dispatch instead lets you set a direct power target, positive to discharge or negative to charge, independent of load or solar.
In every mode, actual battery AC output is also bounded by the converter's kW power limit and a fixed 20 kW/s power ramp, and by SOC — the minimum SOC reserve stops further discharge, and a 95% ceiling stops further charging, no matter what the dispatch objective calls for.
This lab deliberately separates two figures that are easy to conflate: the converter's kW rating sets the instantaneous power ceiling, while the rack's kWh capacity sets how long a given output can be sustained. A converter can be power-limited well before the battery runs low on energy, and a large battery can still be power-limited by an undersized converter — the Power Limited experiment demonstrates this directly.
Conversion losses apply in both directions: charging adds stored DC energy at 94% efficiency (dE/dt = −PAC × η), so less energy is stored than was absorbed from the AC side, while discharging removes more DC energy than the AC load actually receives (dE/dt = −PAC / η). Grid import or export is simply what remains after combining site load, solar and the battery's actual AC output: Pgrid = Pload − Psolar − Pbattery,AC. This is a balanced, aggregate grid-connected model — it excludes islanding, frequency regulation, AC load flow, harmonics, individual-cell imbalance and certified grid-code compliance.
The converter's kW power rating sets the instantaneous power ceiling, separately from the rack's kWh energy capacity, which determines how long that power level can be sustained. Both energy availability and the converter's power limit apply — a large battery can still be capped by an undersized converter, as the Power Limited experiment shows.
Self-consumption mode follows net site load (load minus solar), charging on a surplus and discharging on a deficit. Peak-shaving mode only offsets demand above a chosen grid-import target, effectively capping utility import. Manual dispatch instead sets a direct power target you choose, independent of load or solar.
No. The model applies 94% charging efficiency, so stored DC energy gained is less than the AC energy absorbed from the grid or solar. Conversely, discharging removes more DC energy from the battery than the AC load actually receives — losses apply in both directions.
This is a balanced, aggregate grid-connected energy model with a fixed 720 V DC bus. It excludes islanding operation, frequency regulation, detailed AC load flow, harmonics, individual-cell fault propagation and certified grid-code behavior — SOC reserve and converter power ramp limits are the only enforced operating constraints.