Study: “Asymmetry underlies stability in power grids”
April 7, 2021
The study, “Asymmetry underlies stability in power grids,” was published in the journal Nature Communications on March 5, 2021. This study, supported by Northwestern University’s Finite Earth Initiative, reveals that there are some benefits to diversity in the power grid. Publication of this study comes at an opportune time, following the devastating power outages in Texas concerning its separate power grid. The study examines power grids in the United States and Europe, finding how generators operating on different frequencies return to original states quicker when damped by breakers at different rates than surrounding generators.
“It’s a little bit like a choir without a conductor. The generators have to listen to others and speak in sync. They react and respond to each other’s frequencies,” says professor Adilson Motter.
Professor Adilson Motter
Professor Adilson Motter is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. To learn more about his research, visit his lab website.
Motter discusses his research on power grids in the Northwestern Now story: “Diversity can prevent failures in large power grids.”
Science & Technology
Northwestern accelerates quantum research with NVIDIA technology
September 19, 2025
NVIDIA code could help researchers tackle computationally demanding tasks hindering quantum research Northwestern University physicists are using NVIDIA technology to tackle the computationally demanding tasks hindering quantum research. Northwestern theoretical physicist Jens Koch and his research group…
CRISPR’s efficiency triples with DNA-wrapped nanoparticles
September 18, 2025
New system delivers CRISPR machinery more safely and effectively into cells With the power to rewrite the genetic code underlying countless diseases, CRISPR holds immense promise to revolutionize medicine. But until scientists can deliver its…
Passion for the planet: A new generation of environmental stewards starts here
May 29, 2025
Over the last two decades, the Weinberg College-housed Program in Environmental Policy and Culture (EPC) at Northwestern has embraced the humanities and social sciences and cultivated a new generation of environmental stewards. Growing up in…
Northwestern receives $25 million gift to advance adolescent mental health research
May 16, 2025
New institute will study psychology of emerging adults, leading to innovative wellness programming for students at the University and beyond Northwestern University is launching the Institute for Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being, an interdisciplinary initiative…