AP Sensing is participating in the Aeolus research project, which aims to optimize the use of existing high-voltage overhead power lines. Using AP Sensing’s Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) technology, optical fibers already installed in overhead ground wires will be used to capture local wind conditions. The resulting data can help determine the available transmission capacity of overhead lines more accurately in the future.
The expansion of renewable energy is creating new challenges for Germany’s power grids. Wind power, in particular, is often generated far from major centers of consumption. At the same time, electricity demand is increasing, driven by factors including the electrification of industry and transportation as well as the growth of data centers.
Alongside the expansion of grid infrastructure, this raises an important question: How can existing power lines be used more effectively? Aeolus is investigating how real-world measurement data collected along transmission corridors can enable overhead lines to safely carry higher loads when conditions allow.
Optical Fibers Measure Wind Along the Entire Line
Temperature is a key factor in determining how much current an overhead line can safely carry. As electricity flows through a conductor, the conductor heats up. At high temperatures, the material expands and the line sags further, potentially going below the required safety clearances from the ground, trees or buildings.
The temperature of a conductor also depends heavily on local weather conditions. Wind, in particular, cools the conductors. Under favorable conditions, this cooling effect allows more electricity to be transmitted without exceeding permissible temperature limits.
Aeolus is investigating how this cooling effect can be measured more accurately along overhead lines. The approach uses optical fibers already installed in overhead ground wires. Wind causes characteristic vibrations in the lines, which can be detected over long distances using AP Sensing’s DFOS technology. These measurements are used to derive information about wind speed and direction along the transmission corridor.
This provides real-world measurements from numerous sections of a power line, complementing existing weather models and measurements from individual sensor locations.
From Measurement Data to Actual Transmission Capacity
The data collected will be combined with weather forecasts and other models. Algorithms will determine how effectively wind cools the conductors under specific local conditions, taking into account different environments such as forests, valleys and exposed sections of the transmission corridor.
This makes it possible to assess more precisely how much current a line can carry under prevailing conditions. The approach adds spatially resolved measurements directly from existing infrastructure to weather-dependent operation of overhead power lines.
In addition to capturing wind data, AP Sensing’s DFOS technology enables the detection and localization of acoustic events along the transmission corridor. These can include operational disturbances as well as external interference such as sabotage or vandalism. Within Aeolus, this information can also support Critical Infrastructure Monitoring.
Research Under Real-World Grid Conditions
Aeolus is coordinated by the Institute for Information Processing Technologies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Alongside AP Sensing, the consortium includes transmission system operators 50Hertz Transmission, TenneT TSO and TransnetBW, as well as fokus.energie, unilab Systemhaus and WEPROG.
The research project will run until 2029 and is funded under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s Eighth Energy Research Program for Applied Energy Research. Aeolus is part of the Mission Energiesystem 2045 initiative.
