POWER SYSTEM ISLANDING WITH HIERARCHICAL CLUSTERING

Abstract

Power systems islanding is important for ensuring their reliability and stability, especially in critical situations, such as large-scale accidents, natural disasters or technical failures. The purpose of this paper is to present and theoretically justify an approach to power systems islanding based on a hierarchical decomposition. This solution is aimed at increasing the resilience, adaptability and efficiency of power systems in crisis situations, such as large-scale accidents, cyber attacks or infrastructure damage. The methodology is based on the use of a hierarchical decomposition algorithm that allows complex power grids to be divided into autonomous subsystems or ‘islands’. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, we used the IEEE-118 test system, which is widely used in power system modelling. The study involves a sequential partitioning of the network.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the introduction of hierarchical decomposition as an innovative method for islanding power systems. The proposed approach demonstrates the ability to localise faults and minimise the consequences of accidents, while maintaining the overall stability of the network. The use of software engineering principles, such as modularity, encapsulation, and separation of functionality, ensures the efficiency and scalability of this approach. The study also shows that hierarchical decomposition can be successfully adapted to the conditions of real systems, in particular the Ukrainian power system, which is characterised by diverse load profiles and high vulnerability to cascading failures.

The conclusions emphasise that the introduction of hierarchical decomposition can significantly improve power systems reliability and flexibility, ensuring island autonomy and reducing the load on central control units. This opens up opportunities for the integration of renewable energy sources, which is an important step in the context of global environmental challenges and the need to modernise energy infrastructure. For Ukraine, proposed approach is particularly valuable as it allows to ensure the continuity of energy supply even in crisis situations arising from military operations or large-scale damage to infrastructure. Thus, hierarchical decomposition is a powerful tool for increasing the resilience of energy systems and reducing their vulnerability to external threats.