Identifying critical nodes in power grids containing renewable energy based on electrical spreading probability.

The identification of critical nodes is important for safe operation and accident prevention in power grids. With the accelerated development of renewable energies, the uncertainty of renewable energy has brought greater challenges to the node importance assessment of the power system. The electrical spreading probability method is proposed in this paper to identify the critical nodes in the power grid containing renewable energy. First, the uncertainty factors of renewable energy are established through probability density functions, and Monte Carlo simulation and stochastic DC optimum power flow are adopted to effectively deal with the impact of uncertain power output from solar and wind energies. Then, considering the system topology and load loss after cascading failures calculated by Monte Carlo simulation, a method is proposed to calculate the probability of nodes being infected. Finally, according to the Susceptible–Infected model, a method depending on the propagation ability of nodes is proposed to identify the critical nodes in the complex power system. The effectiveness of the proposed ESP method is verified through simulation examples of the modified IEEE39 power system and the modified IEEE118 power system. • An electrical spreading probability method is proposed. • By adopting the ESP method, a more accurate assessment result can be obtained. • More effectively eliminate the uncertainty brought by renewable energy integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]