Small vulnerable sets determine large network cascades in power grids
Abstract
The understanding of cascading failures in complex systems has been hindered by the lack of realistic large-scale modeling and analysis that can account for variable system conditions. Using the North American power grid, we identified, quantified, and analyzed the set of network components that are vulnerable to cascading failures under any out of multiple conditions. We show that the vulnerable set consists of a small but topologically central portion of the network and that large cascades are disproportionately more likely to be triggered by initial failures close to this set. These results elucidate aspects of the origins and causes of cascading failures relevant for grid design and operation and demonstrate vulnerability analysis methods that are applicable to a wider class of cascade-prone networks.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[2]
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA., Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States). Inst.for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1436902
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1422771
- Grant/Contract Number:
- award308196; AR0000702; DMS-1057128
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Science
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Science Journal Volume: 358 Journal Issue: 6365; Journal ID: ISSN 0036-8075
- Publisher:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
Citation Formats
Yang, Yang, Nishikawa, Takashi, and Motter, Adilson E. Small vulnerable sets determine large network cascades in power grids. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1126/science.aan3184.
Yang, Yang, Nishikawa, Takashi, & Motter, Adilson E. Small vulnerable sets determine large network cascades in power grids. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan3184
Yang, Yang, Nishikawa, Takashi, and Motter, Adilson E. Thu .
"Small vulnerable sets determine large network cascades in power grids". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan3184.
@article{osti_1436902,
title = {Small vulnerable sets determine large network cascades in power grids},
author = {Yang, Yang and Nishikawa, Takashi and Motter, Adilson E.},
abstractNote = {The understanding of cascading failures in complex systems has been hindered by the lack of realistic large-scale modeling and analysis that can account for variable system conditions. Using the North American power grid, we identified, quantified, and analyzed the set of network components that are vulnerable to cascading failures under any out of multiple conditions. We show that the vulnerable set consists of a small but topologically central portion of the network and that large cascades are disproportionately more likely to be triggered by initial failures close to this set. These results elucidate aspects of the origins and causes of cascading failures relevant for grid design and operation and demonstrate vulnerability analysis methods that are applicable to a wider class of cascade-prone networks.},
doi = {10.1126/science.aan3184},
journal = {Science},
number = 6365,
volume = 358,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Nov 16 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Thu Nov 16 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan3184
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