In this situation, the provision of basic services and the integrity of critical infrastructure are of fundamental importance to the functioning of economies and the cohesion of societies. At Siemens Grid Software, we see a number of measures that can be taken to secure the supply of energy via European transmission grids, both in the short-term for the coming winter and with a view to improving mid- and long-term crisis preparedness.
informing them that blackouts were imminent and asking them to conserve energy. Within an hour, consumers had voluntarily reduced demand by 1 GW, avoiding large-scale outages.A more direct way of securing cooperation from consumers while monitoring loads is the use of meter data management systems, which have been introduced in a number of countries. These can be used to steer consumers reliably toward more grid-serving behavior through price incentives.
Determining the real-life tolerances of the transmission grid at any given time is also important to avoid unintentional tripping of protection measures. With increased utilization of transport capacities or increased operational loads, that risk increases, since the protection systems are designed for classic operational scenarios but possibly not for these new scenarios.
A more conventional approach to enhancing network security and stability is to prepare all operating personnel for hazard and disaster response operations through training and simulation. By integrating the data and settings described above, these exercises can be designed very realistically, ensuring that all staff know how to respond in the case of a disruption of operations or other critical scenarios.