Understanding and control of power grids

Abstract

What happened in 2011 should be remembered by people all over the world and recorded in the human history? Definitely are two events among many others. One is the Japan's most powerful earthquake on March 11 2011 since records began, which has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami, and further arising the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster; and a consequent event is that on May 30, 2011 German chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany would halt construction of new nuclear power reactors and would completely phase out all nuclear power in Germany by 2022. Germany has thus become the first one among the developed industrial countries to ban nuclear power. To supply this gap of energy, we will have to seek new green energy, like wind power and solar energy; and on the other hand, to build more efficient and safer power grids, which is currently the main concern of governments and scientists and also of this paper by giving a review on this research area, including pointing out the problems in power grids, research topics, and possible resolutions. This paper is dedicated to the 60th birthday of Prof.Wolfgang Halang, an advocator of new green energy.