A hybrid power plant combining a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a micro gas turbine (MGT) is a suitable technology solution for decentralized energy production utilizing natural gas and biogas. Despite having high electrical efficiency and low emissions, the dynamic interactions between components can lead to damages of the system if a comprehensive control strategy is not applied. Before building a coupled hybrid power plant demonstrator, the “hybrid system emulators” approach is followed to solve any integration issues. A test rig consisting of an MGT and emulated SOFC is developed. The dynamics of the SOFC are reproduced by a real time model. The created cyber-physical system provides an effective platform to validate and optimize the control concepts for the future hybrid demonstrator by adding the complexity of the hybrid plant to the MGT test rig. The ability to develop and test the control strategy on such a system dramatically reduces the technology risk and increases the chances of success for the demonstrator operation.
