Description: Understanding Braess’ Paradox in power grids

This title appears in the Scientific Report : 2022

Understanding Braess’ Paradox in power grids

The ongoing energy transition requires power grid extensions to connect renewable generators to consumers and to transfer power among distant areas. The process of grid extension requires a large investment of resources and is supposed to make grid operation more robust. Yet, counter-intuitively, in...

Personal Name(s):	Schäfer, Benjamin (Corresponding author)
	Pesch, Thiemo / Manik, Debsankha / Gollenstede, Julian / Lin, Guosong / Beck, Hans-Peter / Witthaut, Dirk / Timme, Marc
Contributing Institute:	Modellierung von Energiesystemen; IEK-10 Systemforschung und Technologische Entwicklung; IEK-STE
Published in:	Nature Communications, 13 (2022) 1, S. 5396
Imprint:	[London] Nature Publishing Group UK 2022
DOI:	10.1038/s41467-022-32917-6
Document Type:	Journal Article
Research Program:	Design, Operation and Digitalization of the Future Energy Grids Energie System 2050 Kollektive Nichtlineare Dynamik Komplexer Stromnetze Helmholtz Young Investigators Group "Efficiency, Emergence and Economics of future supply networks" Societally Feasible Transformation Pathways
Link:	OpenAccess
	Publikationsportal JuSER

Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/33292 in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32917-6 in citations.

The ongoing energy transition requires power grid extensions to connect renewable generators to consumers and to transfer power among distant areas. The process of grid extension requires a large investment of resources and is supposed to make grid operation more robust. Yet, counter-intuitively, increasing the capacity of existing lines or adding new lines may also reduce the overall system performance and even promote blackouts due to Braess’ paradox. Braess’ paradox was theoretically modeled but not yet proven in realistically scaled power grids. Here, we present an experimental setup demonstrating Braess’ paradox in an AC power grid and show how it constrains ongoing large-scale grid extension projects. We present a topological theory that reveals the key mechanism and predicts Braessian grid extensions from the network structure. These results offer a theoretical method to understand and practical guidelines in support of preventing unsuitable infrastructures and the systemic planning of grid extensions.