Innovative Testbed Configurations and Interfacing Techniques for Real-Time Digital Simulation of Cyber-Physical Energy and Power Systems

Abstract

Testbed configurations and interfacing methods for real-time digital simulation of cyber-physical power systems (CPPS) remain complex and fragmented across the literature, limiting the clarity with which researchers can compare tools, reproduce testbeds, and select suitable platforms for communication-aware control and cyber security studies. This paper addresses this issue by first comparing the latest works with particular focus on the method of interfacing and configuration architecture, and second, by showcasing two representative testbeds, used for analysing the impact of cyber events on distribution system and microgrid operation. The first testbed interfaces HYPERSIM (OPAL-RT Technologies) with MATLAB (version R2025a) using Modbus over TCP/IP for data exchange. This testbed configuration is capable of capturing the impacts of communication delays on Volt-VAR control in a modified IEEE 13-node test feeder. The second testbed uses two real-time power simulators, OPAL-RT and Typhoon HIL, both interfaced with the discrete-event simulator (DES) EXata Network Modelling (by Keysight Technologies) through modular Python-based scripts. This interfacing effectively enables the simulation of cyber attacks in microgrids. These testbeds show how recent advances in real-time simulation are enabling more practical cross-domain analysis of communication effects, control performance, and cyber vulnerabilities, while informing the design of more capable and future-ready CPPS simulation environments.