arXiv subjects

Dominic Hewes

Publications and source records attributed to Dominic Hewes.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Cascading Failures and Critical Infrastructures in Future Renewable European Power Systems

The world's power systems are undergoing a rapid transformation, shifting away from carbon-intensive power generation to renewable sources. As a result, electricity is being transported over ever longer distances, while the intrinsic system inertia provided by thermal power plants decreases. Together, these developments raise the probability of cascading line failures and reduce the stability of the system after a system split. In this article, we assess the risk of cascading failures and system splits in the European power grid for different carbon reduction scenarios. We analyze the most likely and most dangerous splits, and identify critical transmission infrastructures and we discuss potential countermeasures that can address the problem of cascades. Our results show that while the risks of splits causing power failures rises with decarbonization, it can be mitigated cost efficiently.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2019

Feature- and Structure-Preserving Network Reduction for Large-Scale Transmission Grids

Many countries are currently challenged with the extensive integration of renewable energy sources, which necessitates vast capacity expansion measures. These measures in turn require comprehensive power flow studies, which are often computationally highly demanding. In this work a reduction strategy for large-scale grid models is introduced which not only reduces the model complexity but also preserves the structure and designated grid features. The objective is to ensure that areas crucial to the behavior and the relation of all elements to their physical counterparts remain unchanged. This is accomplished through a specifically designed reduction method for suitable areas identified through topological, electrical and market-based approaches for which we provide an open-source implementation. We show that the proposed strategy adapts to various models and accomplishes a strong reduction of buses and branches while retaining a low dispatch and branch flow deviation. Furthermore, the accuracy of the reduction generalizes well to other scenarios.

math.OC↗

arXiv2017

Reducing the Need for New Lines in Germany's Energy Transition: The Hybrid Transmission Grid Architecture

The energy transition will lead to an imbalance in electric power generation and demand along the north-south axis of Germany. To manage this imbalance, the transmission system operators proposed a network development plan that requires several thousand kilometers of new lines, which received extensive opposition. In our recent work, we proposed a landscape-preserving network development approach, i.e., the hybrid architecture, which relies on the conversion of some existing AC lines and transformers to HVDC operation. In this work, we show that this approach can meet the projected capacity and performance requirements with substantially fewer new lines. Due to the high cost of HVDC technology, the investment volume exceeds the current network development plan, but the preservation of landscape and support of public acceptance may justify that cost premium.

math.OC↗