Agora Large-Load Test Bed

NLR's Agora is a first-of-its-kind test bed for advancing informed and coordinated approaches to large-load grid integration.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Agora supports industry and partner research by replicating the technical complexity of a large-scale facility interconnection. It provides utilities, facility operators, technology providers, and researchers with a controlled environment to evaluate equipment, controls, and operating strategies before field deployment.

Agora is part of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform and is located in NLR's Energy Systems Integration Facility.

As the only dedicated large-load grid integration test bed in the U.S. national laboratory complex, Agora enables collaborative research to help large loads become more flexible, reliable, and coordinated with grid participants. By evaluating how large loads interact with the grid, Agora can help utilities and grid operators identify ways to limit costs for energy customers.

Photo by Joe DelNero, National Laboratory of the Rockies

Capabilities

Agora enables researchers and partners to:

• Evaluate new facility sequences of operation under a range of grid conditions
• Test systems using the Energy Systems Integration Facility's 2-MW grid simulator
• Conduct real-time grid and facility emulation
• Evaluate supervisory control and data acquisition communications
• Perform microgrid controller and power-hardware-in-the-loop validation.

Publications

View all NLR publications related to Agora.

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