Frequency Fluctuations in European Isolated Systems: A Review on Standards, Available Recordings and Grid Code Requirements

Frequency control in the Continental Europe (CE) synchronous area will become more challenging in the future with decreasing levels of rotational inertia, especially after system splits. For isolated power systems, e.g. on remote islands, the European standard EN 50160 specifies much larger possible frequency fluctuations than for large synchronous areas. In this contribution, we locate 28 specific examples of European isolated grids. By taking into account available frequency recordings and grid codes, we identify which of those grids are actually operated in a wider frequency range than the CE system (47.5-51.5 Hz). As a result, we suggest that following the example of isolated systems and allowing for larger dynamic frequency excursions might be a feasible approach to handle future system splits.