The prize was awarded as part of this year's competition under the motto “Flexibility for Grid Resilience”. In view of climate change and the associated challenges, the jury emphasized the importance of flexible and resilient power grids. The ability of energy grids to react flexibly to disruptions and adapt quickly is crucial for the future energy supply and the integration of renewable energy sources.

The aim of the “PnP grids” research project was to validate a grid-forming control method patented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE that is particularly suitable for the use of decentralized, distributed grid-forming power converters. The grid-forming power converters act autonomously and without higher-level communication, and enable stable microgrids to be set up more efficiently — an essential factor for increasing the resilience of modern energy systems. Particularly in the event of disasters, in which the grid connection to higher-level grid sections can fail, such microgrids can reliably supply critical infrastructures such as hospitals and public authorities with electricity.

Tobias Erckrath, project manager at Fraunhofer IEE, explains the relevance of the results: “The results underline the fact that grid-forming power converters are a key technology for resilient energy systems by stabilizing microgrids, securing critical infrastructures and thus being a dkey technology for a sustainable and decentralized energy supply.”

With the development of a plug-and-play-capable control method, the project is helping to flexibly integrate power converters into the grid and significantly reduce the typically complex and specific adaptation of parameters to the respective grid architecture. This technology represents a practical response to the challenges of future power grids and can make a significant contribution to increasing grid stability.

“In future, grid-forming converters will be used in public power grids worldwide to increase the security of supply. They are a key component of the energy transition. Our mission is to ensure that these systems guarantee stable security of supply for the population and industry, even with the constantly increasing requirements. Such processes are ideal for the current integration of large battery parks into public grids as well as for supplying critical infrastructure in the event of a disaster,” emphasizes Axel Seibel, Head of Power Electronics and Electric Drive Systems.

Winning the ISGAN Award of Excellence 2024 emphasizes the importance of “PnP grids” and shows how grid-forming power converters can contribute to shaping a secure and sustainable energy future.