New approaches to integrated energy and network modelling

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Wolf Fichtner; Professor Dr. Vincent Heuveline; Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Leibfried
• Subject Area: Electrical Energy Systems, Power Management, Power Electronics, Electrical Machines and Drives ; Mathematics
• Term: from 2013 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 242471205

Within the energy and economic research area long term tendencies of energy system developments are analysed by the help of energy system models for operation and extension planning. These build a foundation for entrepreneurial or political decisions of a strategic kind and nowadays become of increasing importance (turnaround in energy policy). However, at the modelling stage, the electrical power network is often only modelled in a rudimentary way. This is due to the fact, that the technical and physical correct model of the networks within optimized energy system models is highly complex with respect to the mathematical challenges regarding the nonlinear and non-convex structures. Therefore, in practice often a linearized approach is considered for the computation of the power flow within energy system models. However, important electrotechnical features are missed. The scope of the proposed research project includes the development of appropriate mathematical models as well as efficient numerical solvers, which are able to take into account the physical correct power flows integrated in energy system models. The goal is to decouple the problem at modelling stage, such that nonlinear power flows can be computed separately from the linear economic optimization in an iterative way.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants