The footprint of atmospheric turbulence in power grid frequency measurements

TL;DR

This study shows that atmospheric turbulence affecting wind energy causes measurable short-term fluctuations in power grid frequency, posing challenges for grid stability with high renewable penetration.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence linking wind energy variability due to atmospheric turbulence to short-term frequency fluctuations in a real power grid.

Findings

Wind energy feed-in influences frequency increment statistics for < 1 sec.

Short-term frequency fluctuations are correlated with wind power variability.

Results align with numerical models of grid synchronization under intermittent disturbances.

Abstract

Fluctuating wind energy makes a stable grid operation challenging. Due to the direct contact with atmospheric turbulence, intermittent short-term variations in the wind speed are converted to power fluctuations that cause transient imbalances in the grid. We investigate the impact of wind energy feed-in on short-term fluctuations in the frequency of the public power grid, which we have measured in our local distribution grid. By conditioning on wind power production data, provided by the ENTSO-E transparency platform, we demonstrate that wind energy feed-in has a measurable effect on frequency increment statistics for short time scales (< 1 sec) that are below the activation time of frequency control. Our results are in accordance with previous numerical studies of self-organized synchronization in power grids under intermittent perturbation and rise new challenges for a stable operation of future power grids fed by a high share of renewable generation.