A Modular IoT-Enabled Remote Laboratory Platform for Hybrid Energy System Research and Engineering Education

Abstract

Remote laboratory systems improve accessibility in engineering education and research by enabling Internet-based interaction with physical equipment. This paper presents a modular IoT-enabled remote laboratory platform for hybrid energy system studies, combining renewable energy emulators, battery storage, and programmable loads within a three-interface architecture based on a web HMI, TIA Portal, and MATLAB/Simulink, all connected through a Talk2M VPN cloud. An industrial PLC and IoT gateway provide deterministic local control as well as secure remote access and monitoring. A hierarchical energy-management algorithm is validated by comparing local and remote executions under identical wind and irradiance profiles. The results show small differences in the energy balances of the renewable sources, battery, and load, while typical communication delays are on the order of 100 ms. Consequently, the platform supports research-grade remote experimentation and project-based learning in control and energy systems engineering.