24,562 research outputs found
Modelling interdependencies between the electricity and information infrastructures
The aim of this paper is to provide qualitative models characterizing
interdependencies related failures of two critical infrastructures: the
electricity infrastructure and the associated information infrastructure. The
interdependencies of these two infrastructures are increasing due to a growing
connection of the power grid networks to the global information infrastructure,
as a consequence of market deregulation and opening. These interdependencies
increase the risk of failures. We focus on cascading, escalating and
common-cause failures, which correspond to the main causes of failures due to
interdependencies. We address failures in the electricity infrastructure, in
combination with accidental failures in the information infrastructure, then we
show briefly how malicious attacks in the information infrastructure can be
addressed
Smart Grid Security: Threats, Challenges, and Solutions
The cyber-physical nature of the smart grid has rendered it vulnerable to a
multitude of attacks that can occur at its communication, networking, and
physical entry points. Such cyber-physical attacks can have detrimental effects
on the operation of the grid as exemplified by the recent attack which caused a
blackout of the Ukranian power grid. Thus, to properly secure the smart grid,
it is of utmost importance to: a) understand its underlying vulnerabilities and
associated threats, b) quantify their effects, and c) devise appropriate
security solutions. In this paper, the key threats targeting the smart grid are
first exposed while assessing their effects on the operation and stability of
the grid. Then, the challenges involved in understanding these attacks and
devising defense strategies against them are identified. Potential solution
approaches that can help mitigate these threats are then discussed. Last, a
number of mathematical tools that can help in analyzing and implementing
security solutions are introduced. As such, this paper will provide the first
comprehensive overview on smart grid security
MATCASC: A tool to analyse cascading line outages in power grids
Blackouts in power grids typically result from cascading failures. The key
importance of the electric power grid to society encourages further research
into sustaining power system reliability and developing new methods to manage
the risks of cascading blackouts. Adequate software tools are required to
better analyze, understand, and assess the consequences of the cascading
failures. This paper presents MATCASC, an open source MATLAB based tool to
analyse cascading failures in power grids. Cascading effects due to line
overload outages are considered. The applicability of the MATCASC tool is
demonstrated by assessing the robustness of IEEE test systems and real-world
power grids with respect to cascading failures
A network approach for power grid robustness against cascading failures
Cascading failures are one of the main reasons for blackouts in electrical
power grids. Stable power supply requires a robust design of the power grid
topology. Currently, the impact of the grid structure on the grid robustness is
mainly assessed by purely topological metrics, that fail to capture the
fundamental properties of the electrical power grids such as power flow
allocation according to Kirchhoff's laws. This paper deploys the effective
graph resistance as a metric to relate the topology of a grid to its robustness
against cascading failures. Specifically, the effective graph resistance is
deployed as a metric for network expansions (by means of transmission line
additions) of an existing power grid. Four strategies based on network
properties are investigated to optimize the effective graph resistance,
accordingly to improve the robustness, of a given power grid at a low
computational complexity. Experimental results suggest the existence of
Braess's paradox in power grids: bringing an additional line into the system
occasionally results in decrease of the grid robustness. This paper further
investigates the impact of the topology on the Braess's paradox, and identifies
specific sub-structures whose existence results in Braess's paradox. Careful
assessment of the design and expansion choices of grid topologies incorporating
the insights provided by this paper optimizes the robustness of a power grid,
while avoiding the Braess's paradox in the system.Comment: 7 pages, 13 figures conferenc
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An Assessment of PIER Electric Grid Research 2003-2014 White Paper
This white paper describes the circumstances in California around the turn of the 21st century that led the California Energy Commission (CEC) to direct additional Public Interest Energy Research funds to address critical electric grid issues, especially those arising from integrating high penetrations of variable renewable generation with the electric grid. It contains an assessment of the beneficial science and technology advances of the resultant portfolio of electric grid research projects administered under the direction of the CEC by a competitively selected contractor, the University of California’s California Institute for Energy and the Environment, from 2003-2014
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