Method of power network critical nodes identification and robustness enhancement based on a cooperative framework

Abstract Taking both typical complex network models and power characteristics into account, a novel framework to evaluate the robustness of networks from different perspectives is proposed in this paper. Taking the IEEE 118 bus test case as the study case, the features of the power network are analyzed based on the topology theory and electrical science. Since critical nodes identification from different perspectives can lead to different results, it is of high importance to integrate information from more angles together. Therefore, using the network robustness index to evaluate both structural and functional robustness under six different failure scenarios, it is found that the betweenness-based attack can cause failures more quickly. Based on the above analysis, the method to improve the power network robustness is proposed, and the recovery of networks is also discussed. The method proposed in this paper can help decision-makers develop mitigation techniques and optimal protection strategies.