Operational resilience metrics for complex inter-dependent electrical networks

Abstract

The electrical distribution network (EDN) is a critical infrastructure that plays a primary role in a person’s life. Its resilience is a primary property to be achieved in order to withstand all types of perturbations affecting their functions, thus guaranteeing service continuity in adverse conditions. Resilience arises from a combination of a number of properties and actions related to both intrinsic system technologies and management skills. This work proposes a model enabling the estimation of the EDN operational resilience. The proposed model accounts for most of the parameters influencing the resilience of the network, such as network topology, technological properties of its active elements, the SCADA systems, automation procedures and management efficiency. Results confirm that the model can appropriately handle a real network with a large dimension and provide valuable insights to electrical operators.