Smart microgrids need clear insight and reliable control. With a GOcontroll Moduline Mini, buildings can balance solar, storage, and grid power in real time.

Smart Microgrid Control with GOcontroll is becoming essential as homes and businesses install solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, and flexible loads. These systems need a dependable controller that can read sensors, switch power paths, and manage energy safely. The GOcontroll Moduline Mini offers a compact, robust platform with up to four IO modules, CAN communication, and Linux-based software such as Node-RED and Simulink. This combination makes it a powerful foundation for microgrids that must monitor energy flow, protect hardware, and react fast to changing conditions. Thanks to modular hardware and flexible software tools, users can create microgrid controllers that scale from small research setups to full building systems.

The Moduline Mini is an embedded controller designed for field use, built in a CNC-milled aluminium enclosure with IP67 protection and a pressure-equilibrium valve. It includes four module slots, giving designers room to add input modules, output modules, current-loop modules, or bridge modules depending on the need. This modularity makes it easy to interface with sensors, 3-phase breaker coils, inverter signals, and battery management equipment.
Because the controller operates on 8–32 VDC and includes K15 enable inputs, it fits well into power-electronics cabinets where controlled startup and shutdown matter. Internal measurements such as K30 voltage and CPU temperature support system protection, while its onboard accelerometer can help with cabinet vibration monitoring.

Smart microgrids depend on accurate, fast measurements. The Moduline Mini can host modules such as:

• 6-channel input modules for voltage, frequency, or digital status signals

• 10-channel input modules for dense monitoring points

• 4-20 mA modules for industrial-grade sensors such as power meters or energy flow transmitters

Each of these modules processes signals locally and reports stable data to the application processor. This helps the controller run load-balancing or protection logic without latency. Combined with built-in CAN interfaces, the controller can read inverter data, battery telemetry, and EV-charger messages over standardized protocols.
With these measurements available in real time, users can implement peak shaving, dynamic load control, and fault triggers in a stable and predictable way.

A microgrid controller must decide when to use grid power, when to draw from batteries, and when to push solar energy into local loads. The Moduline Mini supports this through output and bridge modules capable of driving actuators or switching elements.
Output modules provide multiple channels with the ability to control relays or contactors used in 3-phase energy paths. Power bridge modules offer high-current half-bridge functionality, helping users pulse or modulate power-electronic stages when needed.
Because all modules integrate directly into the controller with no rewiring inside the enclosure, the whole system stays compact and easy to maintain. Control logic can be updated over Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi or optional cellular, depending on the chosen configuration.

Node-RED is pre-installed on the Moduline Mini and can run flows automatically at boot. Dedicated GOcontroll nodes make it simple to read module data, write outputs, and share system states.
For microgrid control, users can build dashboards that show:

• Live PV yield

• Household or building consumption

• Battery state

• Grid import/export rate

• Contactor or breaker states

• Mode selection (priority solar, priority battery, or auto)

Because Node-RED supports MQTT, HTTP, and TCP, the controller can transmit data to cloud dashboards or local servers. This makes remote access, energy visualization, and research-grade logging straightforward, even across multiple buildings.

For advanced energy-management research or product development, the Moduline Mini can run compiled MATLAB Simulink models. GOcontroll provides a custom Simulink blockset that exposes:

• All module IO

• CAN communication

• Supply-voltage monitoring

• LED indicators

• Shell-command execution

• Memory blocks for system states

Simulink is ideal for experimenting with load-balancing logic, battery-charging strategies, or predictive control. After compiling the model, users can upload it directly to the controller. Boot times for Simulink models are short, so the controller becomes ready quickly after a reset or a power cycle.

Microgrids are never static. New loads appear, generation grows, and storage systems change. The Moduline Mini’s modular structure, robust housing, and flexible software ecosystem allow systems to evolve without redesigning the controller.
Users can add modules as new measurement points or actuators are required. Wireless options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular (assembly options) help connect distributed equipment. Built-in Linux services, including auto-shutdown and connectivity guard, increase system reliability in long-term installations.
Whether used in a home energy system, a research lab, or a commercial building, the Moduline Mini forms a solid foundation for safe, efficient, and adaptable microgrids.