Structure Analysis of the German Transmission Network Using the Open Source Model SciGRID

High voltage transmission networks play a crucial role in the ongoing transformation from centralized power generation in conventional power plants to decentralized generation from renewable energy sources (RES). The rapid expansion of RES requires a structural rearrangement of the entire power system to ensure the current level of supply security. Scientific approaches to the characterization and improvement of power transmission networks, however, often lack the availability of reliable and appropriate data on the networks’ structure. Using SciGRID, which was recently released open source, we generate a topological grid model for Germany using open data provided by OpenStreetMap. Starting from this particular grid model we characterize the structure of the German transmission grid by means of graph-theoretical decomposition approaches to complexity reduction. Our procedure aims to identify key features and characteristics complementing the grid’s electrotechnical properties; it is for example used to characterize the SciGRID approach and validate the resulting models against other (potentially not open source) transmission network models. In addition, it paves the way for networks with reduced complexity, which might be beneficial in optimization problems addressing system design and operation.