Online visualization of German power plants and their production

Abstract

Maps are used for centuries to visualize geographical or topological information and nowadays, with modern technology, we can create interactive maps that allow us to display and access additional information. Some of them have even become part of our daily life, such as, almost real-time traffic information. Furthermore, maps are often used to display data of population densities, temperatures and spatial distribution of geographical phenomenon. Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy ISE decided to build an interactive map that shows the locations of all power plants listed on the European Energy Exchange (EEX). Since July 2014, the Fraunhofer ISE has been providing interactive charts on electricity production and other related information about electricity and power generation in Germany. These charts became very popular and widely used by people from different professions, namely scientists, politicians, journalists as well as online/printed media. Due to the high popularity of these interactive energy charts, an interactive map has been added to the Energy Charts data visualization portal to make the framework more informative and interesting for users. The map has several search options and levels of detail for searching different power plant locations, technical data, and connectivity to the high voltage transmission lines. Furthermore, this new visualization framework is interconnected with the existing energy charts. The dynamic linking, brushing and filtering technique in both map and energy charts have enhanced the framework by an additional layer providing more visibility and information on the selected power plants.