The energy transition on the generation side and the technological shift on the consumer side are leading to a deterioration of the stability of the electrical interconnected grid in various areas.

The highly fluctuating input from renewable generators endangers the balance between generated and consumed power – this is already being discussed in the public domain and addressed in several research projects. The partial provision of system services by renewable generators is well known in the scientific community. Both of these factors lead to the continued operation of conventional power plants as "must-run units," which obstruct further reduction of CO2 emissions. However, the voltage-impressing control of renewable generators also requires an existing three-phase grid, and therefore, the operation of conventional power plants with synchronous generators directly connected to the grid.

On the consumer side, the energetically highly desirable replacement of directly grid-connected asynchronous machines with variable-speed drives weakens the coupling between grid frequency and power consumption, thereby reducing the damping properties of the grid.

The research project aims to address these problems and pursues two main objectives. Topics that are already widely discussed in the scientific community will be examined with a specific focus on Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, thereby offering useful insights for regional policy regarding framework conditions and investments in the energy sector. This includes the grid-supportive operation of biogas plants, the M-V storage study, optimized sector coupling, regional integration of thermal energy storage, and the necessary grid infrastructure for these developments. Less widespread topics will be tackled with the goal of strengthening excellent research in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These topics include control concepts for the independent operation of wind turbines and the potential that power-electronically coupled loads offer for dynamic grid stabilization. Addressing issues directly related to wind turbines will also help strengthen this industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

In terms of the timeline, stability issues will be addressed across a wide range of time scales, from above the grid frequency down to hourly fluctuations, thus covering at least six orders of magnitude.