Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI
Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI

Resilience through island networks

Preparing for a power outage

Crisis preparedness in Friesland County. Project to mitigate the effects of a blackout.

April, 2026. Disruptions in the distribution grid can lead to outages at critical facilities such as hospitals, fire departments, water utilities, and emergency services.

To improve supply reliability, Fraunhofer EMI analyzed and evaluated the self-sufficient operation of grid sections via island grids for the Friesland district.

Simulations were used to examine the behavior of the distribution grid under load and during disruptions. Using a graph model, the team investigated the effects of power outages on critical facilities and the benefits of small-scale local island grids. The results show that local energy storage systems shorten outage durations and can mitigate or prevent cascading failures.

© Fraunhofer EMI
Potential for island grid self-sufficiency in the Friesland district. Left: without battery storage, right: with local storage. Blue: continuously supplied, orange: intermittently supplied, red: consumption consistently higher than generation.