Transmission Grid Topology Reconstruction
A Python framework for reconstructing transmission-grid topology from OpenStreetMap data and comparing reconstruction methodologies. I am building diagnostics, validation, and export tools alongside the framework as support.
- Date
- May 2026 to present
- Affiliation
- Clean Energy Transformation Lab (CETlab), UC Santa Barbara
Overview
I am developing a Python framework for reconstructing transmission-grid topology from OpenStreetMap data.
The framework supports four reconstruction methodologies and provides a common workflow for comparing the resulting network models.
The problem
Accurate transmission-grid models are important for studying where new generation and transmission should be built and how the grid should operate. However, proprietary models are often locked behind a paywall, and the data necessary to build new models is often restricted.
OpenStreetMap provides openly available information on existing transmission lines and substations. That data can be noisy, incomplete, or inconsistent, so the mapped infrastructure must be cleaned, connected into a network, assigned electrical properties, and checked for errors. My work focuses on this reconstruction process.
What I am building
[Incomplete: Coming Soon]
Madhya Pradesh case study
I applied the framework to Madhya Pradesh, reconstructing a transmission network spanning 132 to 765 kV.
[Incomplete: Coming Soon]
My role
My work includes developing the reconstruction software, synthesizing existing transmission-grid research to guide model design and evaluation, and collaborating with faculty and graduate researchers through code review and research discussions.
Why this matters
At CETlab, transmission-grid models support studies of how electricity systems can decarbonize while keeping the process economically feasible. These models feed into analyses of capacity expansion, production costs, renewable integration, and resource adequacy across different countries and regions. CETlab uses these tools to provide policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders with quantitative information for planning and decision-making. Accurate transmission topology therefore matters because errors in the model can affect conclusions about where new infrastructure is needed, how to keep the system reliable, and which decarbonization pathways to eventually pursue.
Technical details
Technical notes
[FILL IN: methodology details, validation notes, equations, additional figures, or implementation details.]
Links
[Incomplete. Coming soon.]