In the NETZ:KRAFT research project, new concepts and technologies for restoring a power grid, primarily based on renewable energies, were explored between January 2015 and the end of June 2018. The project was carried out by a consortium of 20 grid operators, manufacturers and research institutes and coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE).

In the course of the project, different supply situations were initially tested in case studies on transmission grids and power supply islands. The conclusions drawn from this about the necessary requirements formed the basis for developing new methods and technologies for successfully restoring a grid after a power failure. The inclusion of renewable energy plants played a crucial role in the project: As renewable energies will continue increasing their share on the national energy supply, new concepts taking into account renewable energies are needed. Furthermore, NETZ:KRAFT examined how decentral energy supply with renewable energies can help to accelerate the process of restoring the grid.

After successfully testing the models that had been developed, the new methods were applied to six demonstration projects. Among other things, it could be proved that, even with an 80% share of renewable energies, the power supply can be quickly and reliably restored.