Network Area

Introduction

In power system modeling, a Network Area defines a geographical or functional zone within a power network. It serves primarily as a net position provider, allowing for the calculation of the balance between energy production and consumption within that specific zone.

The NetworkArea interface in PowSyBl-ENTSO-E provides a consistent way to interact with these zones, regardless of how they are defined (by countries, voltage levels, etc.) or how their net position is calculated.

Main Concepts

A Network Area is characterized by:

  • A set of internal components (generators, loads, buses).

  • A method to compute its Net Position.

Net Position Convention

The net position sign convention used across all implementations is:

  • Positive (+): The area is exporting energy (flows are leaving the area).

  • Negative (-): The area is importing energy (flows are feeding the area).

The net position is expressed in MegaWatts (MW).

Implementation Types

There are two main strategies for defining an area and computing its net position:

  1. Border-based: The net position is calculated by summing the physical flows on all branches crossing the area’s perimeter.

  2. Injection-based: The net position is calculated as the sum of all internal productions minus the sum of all internal consumptions.

For each strategy, implementations exist to define areas based on:

  • Countries: The area includes all elements belonging to one or more specified countries.

  • Voltage Levels: The area includes all elements belonging to a list of specified voltage level IDs.