Dynamics of High Voltage Power Grids under Power Outages and Fluctuations
by Philippe Jacquod
at 11.30 - 12.15
Because of growing power demand, increasing difficulties with grid upgrades, and the emergence of intermittent new renewable energy sources, electric power systems are more and more often operated closer to their maximal capacity. The increasing penetration of new renewable energy sources furthermore reduces the overall mechanical inertia available. All this raises important grid stability issues over short to medium time scales, which can be answered only through in-depth investigations of power grid dynamics over large geographical scales. I will first describe PanTaGruEl, a dynamical grid model we constructed to investigate voltage angle and frequency dynamics following disturbances in the synchronous grid of continental Europe. PanTaGruEl will then be used to corroborate theoretical predictions (i) on global grid robustness, (ii) on the location of local grid vulnerabilities, (iii) on the optimal location of mechanical inertia and of primary control and (iv) on the propagation of frequency waves following local disturbances. Time and spatial scales are identified, which separate regimes with different dynamical behaviors.
Further Notes:
Bio: Philippe Jacquod is a Professor with both the Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva and the School of Engineering of the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland. He received a Diploma in Theoretical Physics from the ETH Zürich in 1992 and a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics from the University of Neuchâtel in 1997. From 1997 to 2003 he made Postdoctoral stays at Yale University and at the University of Leiden. From 2003-2005 he was an Assistant Professor at the University of Geneva and from 2005-2013 a Professor at the University of Arizona. His current research interests are in stability and resilience of network-coupled dynamical systems, with a focus on electric power grids. Among his main recent achievements, he was able to follow, and sometimes even lead Florian Dörfler on the Arbengrat at Obergabelhorn.