Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMIThe elimination of base load-capable power plants and the increasing electricity demand for heat pumps and e-mobility require a new architecture for the electricity grid
The traditionally strongly hierarchically structured electricity supply in Germany is facing serious upheavals. The energy transition requires a transition to a new architecture characterized by decentralized energy generation at lower grid levels and the elimination of traditional guarantors of stability in the form of large power plants. On the consumer side, the increasing spread of heat pumps and e-mobility is increasing the demands on the electricity grid. At the same time, climate change is leading to more frequent and more severe extreme weather events.
Development of a resilience monitor
In the RESIST project, five Fraunhofer Institutes – EMI, IEE, ISE, ISOB-AST and IEG – are pooling their expertise with the aim of increasing the resilience of the power supply under these conditions.To this end, current technologies in the field of power supply are being further developed through simulations and tests of new hardware. Based on the resulting findings, Fraunhofer EMI is applying resilience management strategies to map resilience in the power supply in a structured and comprehensive manner. A catalog of key resilience indicators is now available for this purpose, which is used in the specially developed Resilience Monitor (R-Monitor). The R-Monitor maps the resilience of the electricity supply over time based on the consolidation of a wide variety of data sources, taking into account the risks and opportunities of newly introduced technologies and methods. This is achieved, among other things, by implementing a tool developed at Fraunhofer EMI as part of the project. This tool describes the dynamic behavior of a transmission grid after hypothetical outages and thus enables a stability assessment of the current grid status.
Fraunhofer EMI is also developing a network model that uses the in-house software tool CaESAR to map the consequences of a power outage for critical, interdependent infrastructures.
New impetus for 2024
In November 2023, based on the results of RESIST to date, a workshop was held at EMI focusing on the topics of “Resilience in grid planning” and “Prospects for distribution grid islands”. The solutions developed so far were met with great interest by the invited stakeholders, from grid operators to civil protection. The exchange also provided new impetus for the year 2024. Many challenges still await innovative solutions for the resilient conversion of the electricity grid.
