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--- topics:grid [2026/03/19 16:01] – ↷ Links adapted because of a move operation 74.7.227.5
+++ topics:grid [2026/04/18 01:25] (current) – vso_vso
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-====== "network" - "grid" ======
+<WRAP catbadge slate>Technology and Infrastructure</WRAP>
-===== Network infrastructure =====
+====== Grid ======
-===== actor-networks =====
+<WRAP meta>
+lead-authors:
+contributors:
+reviewers:
+version: 0.5
+updated: 26 March 2026
+sensitivity: low
+ai-use: Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) was used to split and restructure content from the combined grid/architecture draft; reviewed by Vitaliy Soloviy, 26 March 2026
+status: draft
+</WRAP>
+<WRAP intro>
+The grid is the interconnected network of transmission and distribution infrastructure through which electricity flows. Smart grid transitions are reconfiguring it at both levels: at transmission level, new interconnectors and grid-forming inverters are changing how system inertia and frequency regulation work; at distribution/local level, rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles are turning networks designed for one-way power flow into active systems with bidirectional flows.((Farhangi, H. (2010). The path of the smart grid. //IEEE Power and Energy Magazine//, 8(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1109/MPE.2009.934876))
+</WRAP>
+===== Why this matters =====
-===== network-theory =====
+Grids were designed around a simple logic: large generators at one end, passive consumers at the other, with transmission and distribution as the delivery pipe. Smart grid transitions break this logic at every point. Generation is now distributed across millions of small sites. Demand is increasingly flexible and, with storage and EVs, can feed back into the grid. The distribution network, which was never designed for two-way flows, becomes a coordination challenge.
-[[merge_into_other_topics:centralized_-_decentralized_-_distributed]]
+<WRAP callout>
+Grid ownership, operation and regulation shape which transitions are possible and who can participate in them.
+</WRAP>
-===== Distribution System - electric =====
+===== Shared definitions =====
-[[merge_into_other_topics:centralized_-_decentralized_-_distributed]]
+The grid encompasses the physical infrastructure of electricity transmission and distribution — lines, cables, transformers, substations, and switching equipment — together with the communication systems, control architectures, and logical coordination functions that manage power flows across it. In smart grid contexts, the grid often denotes the full socio-technical system: not just the wires, but also the standards, ownership arrangements, operational rules, and data flows that determine how the physical network behaves.
-===== Transmission System - electric =====
+^ Term ^ Definition ^
+| **Transmission system** | High-voltage, long-distance network connecting large generation sources and bulk consumers across national or regional geographies |
+| **Distribution system** | Medium and low-voltage network delivering electricity to end-users; historically radial and passive, increasingly active with distributed generation and flexible loads |
+| **Grid-edge** | Devices and systems at the load and customer end of the distribution network, including smart meters, inverters, EV chargers, and building energy management systems |
+| **Bidirectional flow** | Power flowing both from the grid to the customer and from the customer back to the grid, enabled by distributed generation and storage |
+| **Grid code** | The set of technical and operational standards that define how generators, operators, and other parties must interact with the grid |
-===== Governance =====
+===== Perspectives =====
-===== Systems =====
+<WRAP perspectives>
+==== Actors and stakeholders ====
-===== Operation =====
+The grid involves a structured set of actors with distinct mandates: transmission system operators managing high-voltage bulk transfer and frequency stability; distribution system operators managing local delivery and increasingly active coordination of distributed resources; generators and storage operators deciding when to inject or withdraw power; and users at the grid edge whose collective behaviour is increasingly shaping local network conditions. Ownership and operation of grid assets are often separated under unbundling rules, and the clarity of role definitions between entities shapes how investment decisions are made.
-===== Ownership =====
+@@GAP@@ Case examples needed: one case illustrating a specific actor coordination challenge as the distribution network becomes more active (e.g. a jurisdiction where DSO and TSO responsibilities overlap or conflict); one non-EU case.
-===== Functions =====
+==== Technologies and infrastructure ====
-===== Actors =====
+The physical grid comprises conductors, transformers, switchgear, and protection systems operating across voltage levels from extra-high-voltage transmission lines to low-voltage distribution feeders. Smart grid transitions add communication and sensing layers to this physical infrastructure: smart meters, phasor measurement units, distribution automation systems, and SCADA platforms give operators visibility and control that was not possible in purely analogue networks. Inverter-based resources — solar, wind, and batteries — interact with the grid differently from rotating generators, changing how frequency and voltage are maintained.
-===== Services =====
+@@GAP@@ Case examples needed: one case illustrating a specific physical grid challenge introduced by high penetration of distributed generation (e.g. voltage rise, reverse flows, protection coordination); one case from outside Europe.
-===== Assets =====
+==== Institutional structures ====
+Grid ownership and regulatory design vary substantially across jurisdictions. Some grids are publicly owned natural monopolies; others are privately owned and regulated; some involve cooperative or municipal ownership structures particularly at distribution level. Unbundling rules separate network ownership from generation and retail in many regulatory frameworks, but the degree of separation and its effect on investment incentives differs widely. Grid codes specify the technical interface rules that govern how all actors connect and operate within the system.
+@@GAP@@ Case examples needed: one case contrasting ownership models and their effect on grid investment or transition capacity; one non-European case.
+</WRAP>
+===== Distinctions and overlaps =====
+<WRAP distinction>
+**Grid vs network**\\
+In electricity sector usage, grid typically refers to physical infrastructure together with its control and communication overlay. Network covers the same technical meaning and also broader actor-networks and logical coordination structures. The two overlap substantially in smart grid discourse, where physical and digital layers are increasingly inseparable.
+</WRAP>
+<WRAP distinction>
+**Grid vs grid architecture**\\
+Grid refers to the physical network and its operation. Grid architecture refers to the conceptual frameworks — SGAM, SGIRM, GWAC — used to map the layers and domains of that system for purposes of standards development, interoperability planning, and governance analysis. The two are related but distinct: one is the thing, the other is the map. See the [[topics:grid_architecture|Grid architecture]] topic.
+</WRAP>
+<WRAP distinction>
+**Transmission vs distribution**\\
+These two sub-systems differ in voltage level, geographic scale, physical topology, operator mandate, and the nature of the coordination challenge. Transmission is meshed, high-voltage, and designed for bulk transfer between large nodes. Distribution is radial (or weakly meshed), lower voltage, and designed for final delivery — a design that is under pressure as distributed resources proliferate.
+</WRAP>
+===== Related topics =====
+[[topics:grid_architecture|Grid architecture]] · [[topics:grid_edge|Grid edge]] · [[topics:grid_ownership|Grid ownership]] · [[topics:operator|Operator]] · [[topics:energy_logistics|Energy logistics]] · [[topics:operability|Operability]] · [[topics:resilience|Resilience]]
+===== Topic notes =====
+Split from combined grid/architecture draft on 26 March 2026. This file covers the physical network concept. Architecture frameworks (SGIRM, GWAC, SGAM) and the tables are in grid_architecture.dokuwiki.
+~~DISCUSSION|Discussion~~
-===== Data =====
-~~DISCUSSION|Discussion Section~~