Electricity is the basic element in industrial economic development of each state as it is indispensable in all sectors. Production and distribution of energy requires that all components be monitored and controlled with absolute precision. The paper presents a proposal for a platform that aims to train students and develop their practical skills in the field of control engineering. Through the platform, the real-time operation of an industrial process, in this case an electrical station, can be reproduced. For this purpose, the parameters from the general switchboard and the main electrical panels must be acquired. Data transfer from process to platform is done via the Internet. The architecture includes a PLC for implementing and experimenting control strategies and a SCADA station connected to a complex process simulator of a real power station. The advantage of the architecture is the collection of real-time data from the industrial process, but also the isolation of the process to protect it from the research area. The main purpose of the application is to provide an active and attractive learning environment for students and to enable them to get acquainted with the principles of distance data acquisition, industrial communication protocols and automated control of real industrial processes, interoperability and electrical grid problems allowing them to execute specific commands for controlling the power station. The platform also helps students better understand that their inappropriate actions can significantly affect the stability of the system.

SCADA, education, control engineering, process control, electrical grid