A Safety Evaluation Method for a Power System Influenced by a Geomagnetic Storm

Abstract

Geomagnetic storm disasters have a significant impact on the safe and stable operation of power systems. Serious geomagnetic storm disasters can lead to cascading accidents in power systems, up to and including voltage collapse accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and evaluate the operational risks of power systems under magnetic storms. Based on the mechanisms of the cascading failures caused by geomagnetic storms, the technical requirements for the power system safety assessment of geomagnetic storm disasters are analyzed, and an evaluation method is proposed. The key problems and evaluation systems to be solved are also discussed in this paper. A simulation method for the interactions between geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) and power systems is proposed, and a simulation is carried out based on MATLAB and the PowerWorld simulation software. The simulation results show that this method can accurately reflect the impact of faults on power systems and their cascading failures. The present research results provide a reference for further quantifying and preventing the power grid risks caused by magnetic storms.