Swiss Power Distribution Grids Database

Access to real power distribution grid data is often restricted due to privacy concerns and the lack of digitized representations, limiting spatially resolved assessments of these systems. This inaccessibility has driven the development of methods for generating synthetic grids. However, existing approaches face challenges, including computational intractability for large-scale areas, restrictive topological assumptions, insufficient representation of electrical components, and inadequate consideration of geographical constraints. This research project addresses these challenges by developing a model for the large-scale generation of synthetic, geo-referenced low- and medium-voltage grids using publicly accessible data.

Based on this model, a public database of medium- and low-voltage grids has been created for Switzerland to facilitate studies on power distribution infrastructure. These grids exhibit properties consistent with real-world and synthetic reference grids while adhering to operational regulations. All grid components are geo-referenced, and their electrical characteristics are provided, enabling power flow modeling and analysis across different locations. Figure 1 provides an overview of the grids, where panel (a) depicts the 879 medium-voltage grids and panel (b) illustrates the 34,920 low-voltage grids.