A Critical Review of Robustness in Power Grids Using Complex Networks Concepts

Lucas Cuadra, Sancho Salcedo-Sanz, Javier Del Ser, Silvia Jiménez-Fernández and Zong Woo Geem
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Lucas Cuadra: Department of Signal Processing and Communications, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares,Madrid 28805, Spain
Sancho Salcedo-Sanz: Department of Signal Processing and Communications, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares,Madrid 28805, Spain
Javier Del Ser: OPTIMA Area, TECNALIA, 48160 Derio, Bizkaia, Spain
Silvia Jiménez-Fernández: Department of Signal Processing and Communications, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares,Madrid 28805, Spain
Zong Woo Geem: Department of Energy IT, Gachon University, Seongnam 461-701, Korea

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-55

Abstract: This paper reviews the most relevant works that have investigated robustness in power grids using Complex Networks (CN) concepts. In this broad field there are two different approaches. The first one is based solely on topological concepts, and uses metrics such as mean path length, clustering coefficient, efficiency and betweenness centrality, among many others. The second, hybrid approach consists of introducing (into the CN framework) some concepts from Electrical Engineering (EE) in the effort of enhancing the topological approach, and uses novel, more efficient electrical metrics such as electrical betweenness, net-ability, and others. There is however a controversy about whether these approaches are able to provide insights into all aspects of real power grids. The CN community argues that the topological approach does not aim to focus on the detailed operation, but to discover the unexpected emergence of collective behavior, while part of the EE community asserts that this leads to an excessive simplification. Beyond this open debate it seems to be no predominant structure (scale-free, small-world) in high-voltage transmission power grids, the vast majority of power grids studied so far. Most of them have in common that they are vulnerable to targeted attacks on the most connected nodes and robust to random failure. In this respect there are only a few works that propose strategies to improve robustness such as intentional islanding, restricted link addition, microgrids and Energies 2015, 8 9212 smart grids, for which novel studies suggest that small-world networks seem to be the best topology.

Keywords: robustness; power grid; complex network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (46)

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