Graph Spectra Based Controlled Islanding for Low Inertia Power Systems

The inertia of modern power systems is decreasing and becoming more variable as more inverter-connected renewable energy sources and loads are integrated. This leads to a low and time-varied inertia power system that is more sensitive to disturbances andmay not be robust enough to survive large disturbances. How to protect such a low and time-varied inertia system from blackouts is in question. This paper tries to answer this question using a graph spectra-based controlled islanding method. Eigenvector sensitivity, with respect to inertia, is used to identify the impact of reduced inertia on the spectral properties of power system graphs and, thus, coherent generator grouping. Constrained spectral clustering is then used to find the islanding boundary with minimal power-flow disruption to island low inertia systems. Simulation results, obtained using the IEEE 9-bus and 118-bus test systems, validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in the case of low inertia systems.