ISLAND

Local energy systems in island mode

The ISLAND project aims to explore how a municipality’s energy system can operate in island mode.

We take a functioning societal infrastructure for granted today, and this makes us somewhat vulnerable. The Swedish power system is generally reliable but still susceptible to accidents, sabotage, technical failures, and extreme weather conditions. In the event of a major power outage, backup power is activated for critical infrastructure and various public services. However, pumps within the system will be without electricity, meaning that society cannot rely on the distribution of water, sewage, or, for example, district heating, even if the central plant itself remains operational.

The ISLAND project initially includes three main components:
- Investigate how a local power grid can be restarted in island mode in the event of a major disruption to the power system.
- Examine whether buildings connected to the district heating system can distribute heat through natural circulation in radiator systems.
- Identify the most critical societal challenges that may arise during a major crisis within a municipality and provide examples of how society can adapt to minimize disruptions, thus increasing resilience.

In the initial phase of the project, a hydropower plant or a combined heat and power plant will be simulated to start a local power system (black start) and use existing infrastructure to supply selected parts of the critical infrastructure with electricity. This initial simulation will then be expanded to include additional critical infrastructure and more electricity-generation sources.

The project will also analyse how heat is distributed within buildings if the district heating network remains functional but the buildings themselves lose power. This may occur through natural circulation, which will be investigated together with the local energy company by conducting measurements in selected buildings connected to the district heating network when the circulation pump in the radiator system is turned off. As different types of buildings with varying ages and geometries will be included in the study, the results will provide an understanding of how a city center can maintain at least a basic level of heating in buildings connected to the district heating network during a major power outage.

Furthermore, the project will, through a literature review and possibly interviews, develop an understanding of how a more resilient society can be structured. Lessons from the war in Ukraine will be evaluated and compared with societal structures in Sweden. The energy system and the logistics of essential goods will be the primary societal challenges prioritised in the analysis.