Research project SciGrid

Open Source Reference Model of European Transmission Networks for Scientific Analysis

Credit:

BMBF

Transmission networks  play a vital role in the  transformation of the electricity supply which results  from the transition to renewable energies. Extra-high-voltage transmission lines with a voltage  between 220,000 and 380,000 volts transport electricity from power stations and offshore wind parks to distribution networks. These in turn provide users with electricity. The decisions concerning how to plan and use this infrastructure to maximum effect are taken exclusively by the Transmission Network Operators and the national network agencies. Moreover, the grid data is not publicly available or georeferenced.

Research project SciGrid

 

Duration

September 2014 until December 2017

Funded by

Federal Ministry für Bildung und Forschung

Projekt Participants

  • Institute of Networked Energy Systems

With SciGRID, the Institute of Networked Energy Systems developed a model of the European transmission networks and made it freely available to the public in an effort to provide access to scientific researchers and representatives from industry and business.

The SciGRID model, which is accompanied by comprehensive documentation, is suitable for use in scientific and technical studies. If, for example, plans were under consideration to build power lines to connect wind parks in the North Sea to centres of high consumption in southern Germany, then researchers could use this information to produce alternative scenarios. Similarly, an analysis of the data provided by SciGRID can help to determine how to tackle the electricity demand by means of storage units. The model provides a solid foundation for innovative network planning in a number of other areas too. The data is made available under the Open Database License (ODbL), while the code is freely available under the Apache-2.0 licence.

SciGRID uses geodata from openstreetmap.org and currently covers 454 substations and 826 lines in the German transmission network, amounting to a total length of 32,436 kilometres. Specifications related to electrical resistance and capacities of the transmission lines are also included. This allows users to analyse complex interactions in the power grid and simulate its operation. Established models for network planning can now be more effectively compared. Furthermore, the methods developed during the project are transferable to similar grids located outside of Europe and to different voltage levels.


Further information on the Research Project SciGrid:

Departments, research groups and challenges related to the SciGrid project:

Department

Energy Systems Analysis

The Energy Systems Analysis department generates system-analytical knowledge, which we provide across sectors up to the global level and based in part on methods and modelling tools developed in-house.

Research Group

Energy System Modelling

The Energy System Modelling research group is developing methods and solutions for the planning and operation of future energy infrastructures. The primary focus lies in examining how various technologies can contribute to creating energy systems that are sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective.

Challenge

Balancing energy supply and demand

The simultaneity of electricity generation and consumption is the basis for a stable energy system. While fossil and nuclear power plants have so far been deployed according to demand, the dominant renewable energies in the electricity system are heavily dependent on weather - and therefore not available at any given time.

Contact

Energy System Modelling

Research Group
Institute of Networked Energy Systems