EirGrid

European power systems are transitioning towards low-inertia, converter-dominated operation, introducing new challenges for oscillatory stability. Reported oscillation events are typically presented in isolation, limiting broader understanding of trends. This paper presents a cross-event synthesis of oscillatory incidents across Europe, bringing together experiences of Very Low Frequency Oscillations (VLFOs), inter-area modes, and Sub-Synchronous Oscillations (SSOs). Recurring operating conditions associated with oscillatory events are identified, including reduced system strength, lightly loaded systems and high penetrations of Inverter Based Resources (IBRs). Additionally, this paper presents, for the first time in the literature, three Sub-Synchronous Oscillation events experienced on the island of Ireland. These events provide new insight into oscillatory behaviour in high Inverter Based Resources systems and reinforces the trends observed across Europe. The findings demonstrate that oscillatory stability is becoming more complex, operating condition dependent and heavily influenced by control interactions, highlighting the need for enhanced monitoring, modelling and mitigation strategies for next-generation power systems.

ABSTRACT Increasing global energy demand and renewable energy expansion have heightened the importance of accurate solar irradiance forecasting for effective grid management and capacity planning. Atmospheric pollution significantly affects solar irradiance measurements, requiring air quality integration for precise forecasting in polluted urban environments. This study develops a comprehensive multi‐city data set spanning eight geographically diverse locations with systematically categorized pollution levels, from pristine environments (Copenhagen, Sydney) to heavily polluted urban centers (Beijing, New Delhi, Lahore). A pollution‐aware neural network training methodology is introduced, representing the first systematic investigation of ensemble model performance across explicitly categorized atmospheric quality levels. The study presents a novel ensemble architecture integrating multi‐layer perceptrons, recurrent neural networks, and nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous inputs, specifically designed for forecasting under varying atmospheric pollution conditions. The proposed ensemble model achieves superior performance with R ² of 0.8702, RMSE of 1.0809, and MAE of 0.8137, consistently outperforming individual models across all pollution categories and geographical locations. Validation using the HI‐SEAS data set confirms superiority over three contemporary state‐of‐the‐art methodologies. The framework incorporates SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis for model interpretability and comprehensive cross‐validation procedures. This study establishes a foundational framework for pollution‐aware solar forecasting, addressing critical gaps regarding atmospheric variability's impact on prediction accuracy.

Frequency control in power systems is implemented in a hierarchical structure traditionally known as primary frequency control (PFC), secondary frequency control (SFC) and tertiary control reserve (TCR) and, some jurisdictions, include time error control (TEC) as well. This hierarchical structure has been designed around a century ago based on timescales separation, that is, approximately an order of magnitude difference between each control structure. This paper argues, based on real-world observations as well as detailed dynamic simulations on a model of the All-Island power system (AIPS) of Ireland, that this frequency control structure is not necessary in current and future converter-dominated power grids. The paper proposes to redesign this structure by removing the SFC and TCR and rely on PFC and a real-time energy market. The PFC is responsible for addressing fast power imbalances in timescales of tens of ms to few minutes (e.g., 100 ms to 5 minutes) while the real-time energy market is responsible for addressing longer imbalances in timescales of minutes to hours (e.g., 5 minutes to 1 hour). TEC, on the other hand, is considered as optional.

Plans are in place across Europe to update and develop energy infrastructure to decarbonise the system in the years ahead. Alongside this, calls have emerged for more participatory approaches to new energy infrastructural projects involving a wider range of stakeholders, including those at the local community level. This paper investigates the deployment of a public engagement strategy by the Irish Transmission System Operator (TSO) concerning electricity grid infrastructure developments, whereby a community forum is established. The central research question within this paper is as follows: How and to what extent do participatory practices open spaces of influence for community actors to partake in decision-making regarding electricity grid developments? We investigate a grid development project to highlight the central importance of early engagement with citizens and communities in the delivery of infrastructure projects and provide an outline of the innovative creation of the community forum as a conduit to wider community participation. Within this we highlight points of influence in decision making processes, and participant perspectives on their influence and participation. Reflections are included from engagement practitioners in relation to the implementation of the TSOs engagement strategy, to provide recommendations in relation to engagement with infrastructure and a comparison to the participant input. This empirical case provides insights for both academia and practitioners concerned with the development of electricity grid infrastructure.