How to easily find Simscape Electrical blocks equivalent to previous Specialized Power System blocks?

Hi everybody, I am developing a grid-forming BESS model for my PhD. Unfortunately most of the blocks I am using are included in the Specialized Power System libraries and hence they will be removed with R2026a.

I have tried the spsConversionAssistant to solve it, only to find that it has turned said blocks into subsystems therefore losing all their corresponding block funcionalities.

My concern is this apply to the very core of my grid-forming BESS model, I mean the inverter and the battery. My idea was to study the fundamentals of both models. Now that they are meaning less I do not honestly how to proceed.

I am including at the end of this message a list with the pertained blocks I would need to replace. I specially need advice concerning the inverter and the battery blocks.

Questions:

• Is there any list or table where to easily find the possible correspondance among SPS blocls and SE blocks?
• How hard in your opinion would be trying to set the subsystems so that they could So that they faithfully reproduce the behaviour of the blocks from which they originate?

Any help will be welcomed indeed, thanks in advance!

Annex: SPS blocks in my model as of today

• Universal Bridge
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/universalbridge.html
• Battery. Generic battery model
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/battery.html
• abc to dq0, dq0 to abc
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/abctodq0dq0toabc.html
• Power (dq0, Instantaneous)
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/powerdq0instantaneous.html
• Three-Phase Programmable Voltage Source
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/threephaseprogrammablevoltagesource.html
• Three-Phase Breaker
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/threephasebreaker.html
• Three-Phase Series RLC Branch
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/threephaseseriesrlcbranch.html
• Series RLC Branch
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/seriesrlcbranch.html
• Voltage Measurement
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/voltagemeasurement.html
• Current Measurement
• https://es.mathworks.com/help/releases/R2025b/sps/powersys/ref/currentmeasurement.html

[Paul]

At the risk of asking a silly question, why not just keep using the older version of Matlab so you can get your work done with SPS?

[JUAN ANTONIO CABEZA LÓPEZ DE TAMAYO]

Dear Paul, thanks for your kind response! No silly question at all, you are absolutely right. Keeping older versions is my Plan B. At the same time, I am trying to find out how to move on just in case using an older version becomes unsfeasible e.g.: due to not being technically supported any more by Matlab/Simulink. Best wishes for you and your family!

Answer 1

[Umar]

Hi @Juan,

It would not be easy process after sharing your concerns about migrating your grid-forming BESS model from Specialized Power Systems (SPS) to Simscape Electrical (SE) in MATLAB R2026a. I’ve reviewed your comments and looked into the best approaches for addressing your concerns. Here's a breakdown:

Core Blocks Losing Functionality (Inverter and Battery)

You mentioned that the core blocks in your model, specifically the inverter and battery, are critical to your grid-forming BESS model. These blocks are currently part of the Specialized Power Systems (SPS) library, and you’re worried that they’ll lose functionality in R2026a due to their removal from the SPS library.

Inverter: The Universal Bridge block from Simscape Electrical Power Electronics library is a direct replacement for the SPS Universal Bridge block, which is commonly used in modeling inverters. However, to replicate grid-forming behavior, you’ll need to re-implement control schemes like droop control, voltage regulation, and frequency synchronization. While the SE Universal Bridge block replicates the inverter's electrical behavior, advanced control needs to be manually added using Simulink blocks (e.g., PID controllers, state-space models).

Battery: The Battery block in Simscape Electrical > Energy Storage can replace the Generic Battery Model in SPS. This block models the charge/discharge behavior, state of charge (SOC), and voltage dynamics. You'll need to adjust parameters such as internal resistance and capacity to replicate the behavior of your original SPS battery model. If your system requires more detailed battery models (e.g., temperature effects, aging), you may need to implement them manually in SE.

Issue with the spsConversionAssistant Turning Blocks into Subsystems

You’ve also mentioned that you used the spsConversionAssistant to convert your SPS blocks, but it ended up turning them into subsystems, causing a loss of functionality.

Feasibility: Yes, this can happen with spsConversionAssistant, especially for complex systems like the grid-forming inverter and battery. The tool doesn’t automatically preserve advanced control logic and dynamic behaviors, leading to the loss of functionality in the resulting subsystems. You’ll need to manually configure these subsystems to recover the lost functionality. For example, the inverter's control logic (e.g., switching PWM) will need to be rebuilt. For the battery, you’ll need to adjust the internal dynamics to ensure it behaves as expected (e.g., SOC management, charging cycles).

Is There a Correspondence Table Between SPS and SE Blocks?

You asked whether there’s an official table or list that directly maps SPS blocks to SE blocks*.

Feasibility: Unfortunately, there is no official correspondence table provided by MathWorks for SPS to SE block replacements. However, based on detailed research, here’s a list of SE blocks that correspond to the main SPS blocks you’re using:

• Universal Bridge (SPS) > Universal Bridge (SE)
• Battery (Generic Battery Model) (SPS) > Battery (SE)
• abc to dq0 and dq0 to abc (SPS) > Clark Transform and Park Transform (SE)
• Power (dq0, Instantaneous) (SPS) > Power Measurement (dq0 frame) (SE)
• Three-Phase Programmable Voltage Source (SPS) > Three-Phase Voltage Source (SE)
• Three-Phase Breaker (SPS) >Circuit Breaker (SE)
• Series RLC Branch (SPS) > Series RLC Branch (SE)
• Voltage Measurement and Current Measurement (SPS) > Voltage Measurement and Current Measurement (SE)

While the blocks themselves are quite similar, the control logic and system behavior will need to be manually reconstructed, especially for the grid-forming aspects of your system.

Can the Subsystems Faithfully Reproduce the Original Block Behavior?

You expressed concern about how difficult it would be to reconfigure the subsystems to faithfully replicate the behavior of the original SPS blocks.

Feasibility: Yes, it is possible to faithfully reproduce the behavior of the SPS blocks, but it will require manual effort. The inverter's grid-forming behavior (such as voltage/frequency regulation and load sharing) won’t be automatically replicated by the conversion. You'll need to recreate this using control algorithms (e.g., droop control, virtual synchronous machines) in Simulink or through additional Simscape Electrical blocks for the inverter.

Similarly, the battery model will need to be tuned, especially for charge/discharge profiles and voltage limits. If there are additional dynamics like aging or temperature effects, you’ll need to model these manually.

In summary, the core behavior of the inverter and battery can be replicated, but the control strategies and any complex features need to be manually implemented in Simulink or by tweaking SE blocks.

Is Full Conversion of the Model Feasible or Will Customization Be Needed?

You’re concerned about whether full functionality can be converted or if customization will be needed to match the original SPS blocks.

Feasibility: Full conversion is feasible, but customization will be needed. The core components such as the inverter and battery can be successfully replaced with SE equivalents, but the advanced control features (particularly for grid-forming operations) won’t be automatically replicated. For grid-forming inverters, you’ll need to implement control logic (e.g., droop control, virtual synchronous machine models) that governs how the inverter interacts with the grid.

The battery model in SE can be tuned to match the charge/discharge behavior, but finer details (e.g., temperature effects, aging, efficiency losses) will require additional manual adjustments.

Therefore, while you can convert the model and replace the blocks, advanced control logic and fine-tuning will need to be done by you.

Modeling the Grid-Forming BESS

Lastly, you mentioned that your goal is to study the fundamentals of both the inverter and the battery models, particularly focusing on grid-forming behavior.

Feasibility: Yes, it’s entirely feasible to model a grid-forming BESS in Simscape Electrical. However, as previously mentioned, you’ll need to implement the control strategies to achieve the desired grid-forming functionality. For the inverter, this means incorporating voltage and frequency regulation,and for the battery, it means implementing SOC management and ensuring proper charge/discharge cycles.

The Simscape Electrical blocks for the inverter and battery will give you the physical dynamics, but for the full grid-forming functionality, you'll have to recreate the specific control behavior in Simulink.

I hope this helps clarify your next steps.

[JUAN ANTONIO CABEZA LÓPEZ DE TAMAYO]

Dear Umar, I really appreciate your very kind and comprenhensive answer to my queries. The way you have managed to approach to my concerns and subsequently respond is really impressive. Hope you do not mind if I tell you that in my >35y eng career fewer expositions I have been able to find clearer than yours. Most sincere congrats for being such an excellent and honest professional! Best wishes for you and your family,