## 3 Procedure for the Conversion of a Network Section into a Smart Microgrid  
As mentioned in Section 1, this document aims at presenting an experimental application case to provide intelligence to an electricity grid with different generation sources, storage systems, and loads and transform it into a smart microgrid that can operate with high efficiency. Although the described procedure is applied to an \"experimental application case\", it could be applied in a generic way in similar grids, since the described steps are valid for any grid of these characteristics. The procedure to convert an electrical grid with renewable generation sources, storage systems, and consumption that do not communicate with each other, into a smart microgrid is shown in Figure 1.  
**Step 1. ** Identification and characterization of grid elements: the first step to provide intelligence to an electricity grid is to identify and characterize all the elements connected: generation sources, storage systems, and loads. There are different generation sources (renewable and non-renewable) that can be integrated in an electrical microgrid. The most common are photovoltaic, small wind turbines, generator sets, and mini/micro-hydraulic turbines. For each one, it is necessary to know the nominal installed power and the range of power in which it can operate. It is also necessary to know if it is a dispatchable or non-dispatchable generation source. As shown later, if they are non-dispatchable sources, it will be enough to monitor the parameters to be integrated into the control system that is developed (mainly instantaneous power). In the case of dispatchable generation sources, it will not only be necessary to monitor the desired parameters, but it will also be necessary to develop a software (SCADA  
Figure 1: Stages of the procedure to transform passive grid into a smart microgrid. Source: prepared by authors. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) to operate them and integrate it into the control system of the microgrid. It is also convenient to know the type of generation source, renewable or non-renewable, to monitor (if possible) the resource in case of renewable energies (wind speed for wind energy, solar radiation in case of photovoltaic, water level for hydraulic turbines, etc.) or fuel in case of non-renewable energies (diesel for generator sets, biomass, etc.). In case of storage systems, the most used are batteries, or pumping associated to a mini-hydraulic turbine. This procedure can be applied to them or to any storage system such as flywheels, compressed air, etc. All of them are dispatchable, so in addition to monitoring their capacity, having energy that can store, power, performance, etc., it will be necessary, as in the case of dispatchable energies, to develop a software to operate them that must also be integrated into the microgrid control system. In addition to the generation and storage systems, it is necessary to have a deep knowledge of grid consumptions. It is important to know the power contracted with the energy distribution company, the energy consumed monthly (if possible, at least twelve months to avoid seasonal effects), as well as the most significant loads. As with non-dispatchable generation elements, the microgrid control system cannot control the loads--they will either start or stop depending on the microgrid users. Therefore, it will only be necessary to monitor the instantaneous power and some other parameter that is considered appropriate. It will also be interesting to establish a ranking of loads by priority and influence of the load profile. Along with all these electrical issues, it will be necessary to know and detail aspects related to communications as shown in step 3. **Step 2. ** Integrate grid elements into the same data network: once the elements that will be part of the microgrid are well known, they must be connected (including the control system) to the same data network.