Boosted fluctuation responses in power grids with active voltage dynamics

Abstract

Secure electric energy supply and thus stable operation of power grids fundamentally relies on their capability to cope with fluctuations. Here, we study how active voltage dynamics impacts the collective response dynamics of networked power grids. We find that the systems driven by ongoing fluctuating inputs exhibit a bulk, a resonance, and a localized grid frequency response regime, as for static voltages. However, active voltage dynamics generically weakens the degree of localization in the grid, thereby intensifying and spatially extending the high-frequency responses. An analytic approximation scheme that takes into account shortest signal propagation paths among the voltage, phase angle and frequency variables result in an asymptotic lowest-order expansion that helps understanding the boosted high-frequency responses. These results moreover offer a generic tool to systematically investigate fluctuation response patterns in power grid models with and without active voltage dynamics.