TenSyGrid: Tensors for System Analysis of Converter-dominated Power Grids

At a glance

• The integration of renewable energies is significantly increasing the complexity of the power grid dynamics. Nevertheless, reliable tools that can map these processes and enable secure operation with 100 percent renewable energies are still lacking.
• In the TenSyGrid research project, scientists are developing a toolbox that supports electricity grid operators decision-making with the stability assessment of large electricity grids with low inertia.
• Fraunhofer IWES, which is coordinating the project, is responsible for developing multilinear models using modern mathematical tensor methods for grid modeling, among other things.

The challenge

The electricity grid is facing major changes with the expansion of renewable energies. Photovoltaic and wind energy plants are connected to the grid via converters which is a big departure from the traditional large power plants whose rotating masses are firmly connected to the grid and thus contribute inertia to frequency stabilization. Classical linear approaches, which enable simplified power grid simulations, cannot map the rapid transitional behavior of these massively deployed converter power electronics. To counter these emerging uncertain dynamics of the electricity grid, electricity grid operators are limiting the integration of renewable energy sources.

There is a lack of reliable tools for managing a 100 percent renewable energy grid that can, for example, calculate offline grid integration studies of renewable power plants or HVDC connections and perform real-time grid stability assessment. 

The solution

This is where the TenSyGrid project comes in. The aim is to develop a toolbox that uses innovative methods to support grid operators in the direct stability assessment of large electricity grids with 100 percent renewable energy.

Among other things, the scientists are using new mathematical approaches to develop a modeling framework that captures the non-linear dynamics of the electricity grid to enable real-time stability assessment. A library of models of power grid elements allows scaling to large power grids and adaptation to current developments. The aim is also to make the toolbox compatible with existing commercial software packages.

In the TenSyGrid project, the project coordinator Fraunhofer IWES forms the central link between the system-theoretical development of multilinear modeling and the application for modeling and analyzing power grids. 

The added value

TenSyGrid makes an important contribution to securing the energy supply. An increasingly electrified society can only function with a reliable power grid. Climate change poses the challenge of integrating numerous new players such as wind farms, battery storage systems, and electrolyzers without jeopardizing security of supply. The TenSyGrid toolbox supports grid operators on the reliable planning and control of an increasingly complex dynamic system.