The Smart Grid Laboratory (LARI - acronym in Portuguese for Laboratório de Redes Inteligentes) is dedicated to the development of intelligent methods for the protection and monitoring of electric power systems. Its goal is to provide innovative solutions to the challenges of modern power systems, which are characterized by a high penetration of Distributed Generation (DG) and the presence of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs). At the LARI, intelligent hardware-based solutions for the protection and monitoring of electrical systems are designed and implemented using real-time simulations with the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). Through specific software and equipment, LARI recreates realistic scenarios to evaluate the behavior of power networks under normal operating conditions and during fault situations. Using generic hardware platforms, the intelligent solutions are tested in hardware through Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations. 

LARI is a research space focused on studies related to the protection and monitoring of electrical systems, with an emphasis on the application of artificial intelligence to propose innovative solutions in this field. Among its main research areas are:

• Protection of HVAC and HVDC systems;

• Monitoring of distribution systems;

• Hardware implementation of intelligent algorithms;

• Islanding detection in systems with distributed generation;

• Real-time simulations and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations;

• Advanced methods for fault detection, classification, and location.