Performance and reliability of electrical power grids under cascading failures

The stability and reliability of electrical power grids are indispensable to the continuous operation of modern cities and critical for preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in emergence management. Because present power grids in China are often running near their critical operation points, they are especially vulnerable and sensitive to external disturbances such as hurricanes, earthquakes and terrorist attacks, which may trigger cascading failures or blackouts. This paper describes a quantitative investigation of the stability and reliability of power grids with a focus on cascading failures under external disturbances. The 118-bus (substation) power network in Hainan, China is employed as a case study to investigate the risk of cascading failure of the regional power grids. System performance and reliability of the power grids are evaluated under two hypothetical scenarios (seismic impact and intentional disturbance) that could trigger cascading failures. By identifying the most vulnerable (critical) edges and nodes, the robustness of the power network is evaluated under the triggered cascading failures. It is found that the system reliabilities could decline as much as 95% during the triggered cascading failure. This paper also explores the use of concepts from modern complex network theories such as state transition graph and characteristic length to understand the complex mechanism of cascading failures. The findings could be useful for power industries and emergency managers to evaluate the vulnerability of power systems, understand the risk of blackout induced by cascading failures, and improve the resilience of power systems to external disturbances.

► We examine the stability and reliability of power grids under cascading failures.
► Complex systems theories are integrated to evaluate system stability and reliability.
► Robustness of a real-world power network is evaluated under external disturbances.
► This paper helps deepen our understanding of the mechanism of cascading failures.
► Results are useful to assess blackout risk and identify vulnerability of power grids.