Escape routes, weak links, and desynchronization in fluctuation-driven networks

Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

  • Benjamin Schäfer - , Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (Author)
  • Moritz Matthiae - , Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Jülich Research Centre, Technical University of Denmark (Author)
  • Xiaozhu Zhang - , Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (Author)
  • Martin Rohden - , Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Constructor University (Author)
  • Marc Timme - , Chair of Network Dynamics (cfaed), Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Technische Universität Darmstadt (Author)
  • Dirk Witthaut - , Jülich Research Centre, University of Cologne (Author)

Abstract

Shifting our electricity generation from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources introduces large fluctuations to the power system. Here, we demonstrate how increased fluctuations, reduced damping, and reduced intertia may undermine the dynamical robustness of power grid networks. Focusing on fundamental noise models, we derive analytic insights into which factors limit the dynamic robustness and how fluctuations may induce a system escape from an operating state. Moreover, we identify weak links in the grid that make it particularly vulnerable to fluctuations. These results thereby not only contribute to a theoretical understanding of how fluctuations act on distributed network dynamics, they may also help designing future renewable energy systems to be more robust.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number060203
JournalPhysical Review E
Volume95
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - 9 Jun 2017
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 28709193
ORCID /0000-0002-5956-3137/work/142242444