An Integrated Preventive Operation Framework for Power Systems During Hurricanes

Severe weather is the primary cause of power outages in the U.S. Despite the availability of weather forecast information, such data are not systematically integrated into operation models. This article proposes an integrated framework to convert weather forecast into appropriate information for preventive operation during hurricanes so that the power outages induced by hurricanes can be reduced. To achieve this goal, first, a structural model of the transmission towers is developed to estimate failure probabilities based on the wind speed. These probabilities are then integrated within a day-ahead security-constrained unit commitment framework to guide preventive operation. The resulting day-ahead schedule will be more reliable as it will rely less on the elements that are likely to fail. Simulation studies, conducted on the IEEE 118-bus system affected by synthesized Irma and Harvey hurricanes, showed that the proposed framework was able to prevent 33% to 83% of the blackouts. Further research is required to investigate the impacts of flooding, damage to the distribution network, and weather forecast uncertainty.