PC-based control for grid stability and efficient energy management

Advancing decarbonization and the integration of volatile renewable energies pose new challenges for supply security. Beckhoff is responding to this with a modular technological system that improves performance and flexibility. As an established partner to the wind industry – with over 130,000 automated wind turbines worldwide – the company provides options opened up by PC-based control and the high-speed EtherCAT fieldbus to the entire energy generation, distribution, and storage value chain. The open control technology ensures the necessary connectivity for smart grid applications and enables precise control of energy flows in real time, which significantly increases grid stability.

Integrated measurement technology

Integrated solutions for energy monitoring are a central component of Beckhoff’s exhibit at E-world 2026. Measurement technology is directly integrated into the EtherCAT Terminal system, which simplifies the implementation of energy management solutions in accordance with ISO 50001 and eliminates the need for external black box devices. One highlight is the EL3475 EtherCAT Terminal, which significantly speeds up installation and commissioning with its pluggable connection technology for current transformers. Real-time recording of parameters such as voltage, current, active power, and reactive power allows load peaks to be detected and predictive maintenance strategies to be implemented.

Microsecond precision for grid diagnostics

Monitoring for transmission and distribution grids is challenging, and Beckhoff will present an open system solution for implementing a phasor measurement unit (PMU) at the exhibition. TwinCAT 3 Power Technologies (TF8350) in combination with the EL3783 (grid monitoring) and EL6689 (distributed clock synchronization) EtherCAT Terminals enables time-synchronous phase measurement in accordance with IEC 60255-118-1. The system implements 3-phase electrically isolated recording of current and voltage at 20 ksps. This allows errors and their propagation to be limited to the microsecond range and harmonics and distortions to be calculated in a 1 ms cycle, providing operators with a valid instrument for assessing grid quality and responding quickly to frequency fluctuations.

Certified control

To ensure that power generation systems (PGS) are integrated into the grid in accordance with standards, Beckhoff offers certified software blocks with TwinCAT 3 Power Control (TF8360). The solution covers the requirements for reactive power control, active power control, and fault ride-through capability for low, medium, and high-voltage grids. Certification in conjunction with CX-series Embedded PCs significantly reduces the engineering workload for system manufacturers. In addition, TwinCAT 3 Power Collector (TF8330) ensures that the recorded data is transferred seamlessly. Alongside classic telecontrol protocols such as IEC 61850 and IEC 60870, advanced IoT interfaces such as MQTT and OPC UA are available to efficiently integrate energy data into higher-level cloud or SCADA systems.