Power grids exhibit patterns of reaction to outages similar to complex
networks. Blackout sequences follow power laws, as complex systems operating
near a critical point. Here, the tolerance of electric power grids to both
accidental and malicious outages is analyzed in the framework of complex
network theory. In particular, the quantity known as efficiency is modified by
introducing a new concept of distance between nodes. As a result, a new
parameter called net-ability is proposed to evaluate the performance of power
grids. A comparison between efficiency and net-ability is provided by
estimating the vulnerability of sample networks, in terms of both the metrics.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures. Figure 2 and table II modified. Typos corrected.
Version accepted for publication in Chao
