Right-Sizing the Grid

Abstract

This article presents a study of various categories of risks associated with the size of power grid and probable solutions to mitigate the risks timely. The researchers believe that engineers must stop looking at the electrical grid solely as an aggregation of components. Instead, they must also view the grid as an entity whose very size and complexity make it behave differently from other types of systems. A systems perspective can help us explain why large blackouts are inevitable and why they occur more frequently than we might expect. It also enables us to consider new ways to reduce risk by restructuring the grid . An analysis shows that a grid with 500 to 700 nodes might be the sweet spot for a grid. It is large enough to let us suppress many small and medium-size outages, yet small enough to avoid the increased probability of massive blackouts. Dividing the grid into independent modules would produce more small and medium-size blackouts. While these events are quickly remedied, they would occur frequently enough to notice and draw complaints from utility customers. It would also make the grid less efficient for operators.