Modular Construction Kit for Calculating the Reliability of a Grid Operator’s Communication Services

The ongoing electrification in Germany, along with the resulting need to examine whether existing operating concepts require extensions—such as supplementing the preventive N-1 criterion with curative measures—calls for a closer analysis of the communication network. Previous studies have demonstrated a significant influence of the communication network on the reliability of curative N-1 measures. This contribution focuses on analyzing the reliability of components typically required for communication transmission, leading to the realization that communication must be composed into services. A new modular construction kit is presented, allowing the modeling of individual communication services based on their routes, with the ability to determine the associated reliability characteristics. The resulting values are compatible with those obtained from previous methods used to analyze the reliability of primary equipment. The results indicate that the reliability of the communication links is comparable to that of components within the energy system.