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Purpose Despite South Africa’s ailing electrical grid, substantial renewable energy (RE) integration is planned for the country. As grid-integrated RE affects all grids differently, this study aims to develop an adaptable grid code-guided renewable power plant (RPP) control real-time simulation testbed, tailored to South African grid code requirements to study grid-integrated RE’s behaviour concerning South Africa’s unique conditions. Design/methodology/approach The testbed is designed using MATLAB’s Simulink and live script environments, to create an adaptable model where grid, RPP and RPP guiding grid codes are tailorable. This model is integrated with OPAL-RT’s RT-LAB and brought to real-time simulation using OPAL-RT’s OP4510 simulator. Voltage, frequency and short-circuit event case studies are performed through which the testbed’s abilities and performance are assessed. Findings Case study results show the following. The testbed accurately represents grid code voltage and frequency requirements. RPP point of connection (POC) conditions are consistently recognized and tracked, according to which the testbed then operates simulated RPPs, validating its design. Short-circuit event simulations show the simulated wind farm supports POC conditions relative to short-circuit intensity by curtailing active power in favour of reactive power, in line with local grid code requirements. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first design of an adaptable grid code-guided RPP control testbed, tailored to South African grid code requirements in line with which RPP behavioural and grid integration studies can be performed.

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South Africa first implemented rolling blackouts known as load shedding to protect the integrity and maintain stability of their ailing electrical grid over a decade ago. Since then, load shedding has become a daily occurrence, which South Africa plans to alleviate through the addition of grid-connected renewable generation. Significant renewable energy (RE) additions can however negatively affect a grid, prompting South Africa to develop RE-specific grid code requirements as mitigation. Given this strategy to address the country’s supply challenges using RE, and the still unknown effects of the country’s aggressive RE integration planned, South Africa must perform the necessary simulations tailored to the country’s unique grid conditions, and local RE-specific grid code requirements to ensure a RE-driven solution are indeed viable. Prompted by the lack of a suitably tailorable simulation platform, this paper proceeds to discuss the development of a tailorable grid code-guided renewable power plant (RPP) behavioral studies testbed. The testing methodology involves feeding grid disturbance event data to an RPP modeled after Eskom’s Sere wind farm in South Africa, which is operated in line with local RPP-specific grid code voltage and frequency requirements to assess the testbed’s grid code-guided RPP operating approach. Results show the testbed to effectively distinguish between grid code-specified no-fault, fault ride-through, and trip conditions, operating the simulated RPP accordingly. Consequently, as compared to comparable RE integration simulation platforms, the reviewed testbed has the potential of producing individualized results, owing to its tailorable grid, RPP, and incorporated grid code guiding specifications.

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