An EMS Research and Development Fast Prototyping Platform for Disaster Relief

Zhiyu Long; Mo-Yuen Chow

doi:10.1109/JAS.2025.125831

Volume 13 Issue 5

May 2026

IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica

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Z. Long and M.-Y. Chow, “An EMS research and development fast prototyping platform for disaster relief,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1108–1121, May 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125831

Citation:

Z. Long and M.-Y. Chow, “An EMS research and development fast prototyping platform for disaster relief,” IEEE/CAA J. Autom. Sinica, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 1108–1121, May 2026. doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125831

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An EMS Research and Development Fast Prototyping Platform for Disaster Relief

doi: 10.1109/JAS.2025.125831

Zhiyu Long^,,
Mo-Yuen Chow^{,
,}

Funds: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (6251101236)

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Author Bio:
Zhiyu Long (Student Member, IEEE) received the B.S. degree in automation from Southeast University in 2023, the M.S.degree in control science and engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in 2026. He is an Algorithm Engineer with International Business Group, DiDi. His research interests include distributed control, optimization, and machine learning in microgrid. His research interests include distributed control, optimization, and machine learning in microgrid

Mo-Yuen Chow (Fellow, IEEE) received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA in 1982, the M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from Cornell University, USA, 1983 and 1987, respectively. He is a Professor in the Global College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, USA. He was a Visiting Changjiang Scholar at Zhejiang University. His recent research includes distributed control and management, smart micro-grids, batteries management, and mechatronics systems. Dr. Chow has established the Advanced Diagnosis, Automation, and Control Laboratory. He is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transations on Industrial Informatics, 2014–2018, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 2010–2012. He has received the IEEE Region-3 Joseph M. Biedenbach Outstanding Engineering Educator Award, the IEEE ENCS Outstanding Engineering Educator Award, the IEEE ENCS Service Award, the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Anthony J Hornfeck Service Award, and the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society Dr.-Ing. Eugene Mittelmann Achievement Award. He is a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Industrial Electronics Society
Corresponding author: Mo-Yuen Chow, e-mail: moyuen.chow@sjtu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2024-10-10
Revised Date: 2025-05-12
Accepted Date: 2025-08-06

Abstract

Abstract

Power restoration after disasters is of utmost importance, due to its critical role in supporting disaster relief, medical care, transportation, communications and other essential services in disaster areas. However, post-disaster power restoration is a time-sensitive energy management problem, and it will be a challenge for conventional methods to ensure power restoration in a rapid and stable period of time for areas with limited resources and complex environmental conditions. This paper presents an energy management system (EMS) research and development (R&D) fast prototyping platform designed for disaster relief. Designed for microgrids in disaster areas, the platform enables rapid deployment of microgrid prototype and offers energy management capabilities to supply emergency power. The platform integrates both software and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system to form a closed-loop R&D process. The software part has a modular design of EMS components and functions, allowing for flexible combinations and convenient user configuration based on various application needs. The HIL system part provides a dedicated testing and verification solution for EMS modules through the networking of multiple devices. To verify the fast prototyping capability of the platform, simulation validation is conducted using several microgrid cases with dynamically changing environments and user requirements in the disaster scenario. The results indicate that these design features enable the platform to conveniently configure microgrid rapid prototypes for case analysis and proof-of-concept validation in a modular manner, making it well-suited for EMS applications in time-sensitive and dynamic disaster scenarios.
- Disaster relief,
- distributed control,
- energy management system,
- microgrid,
- power restoration

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References(41)

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