Resilience of power distribution systems under extreme weather conditions

Abstract

In this dissertation, the reliability of power distribution systems under the impact of adverse weather, with an emphasis on hurricanes, is studied. This research investigates the effects of failures of utility wood poles on the reliability and resilience of electric distribution systems. The probability model of wood pole failures is used to develop an outage prediction model that serves to identify vulnerable regions of the network. Following this, the benefits of automatic network reconfiguration to reduce customer outages during hurricane landfall is assessed. After hurricane occurrence, wood pole repair and restoration schemes are implemented that restore 100% of power back in the system. Network hardening strategies,including upgrading wood pole infrastructure and integrating micro grids, are analyzed. Finally, system performance metrics are calculated and discussed. The result is a holistic framework for the resiliency assessment of distribution systems in the event of hurricanes, that allows utilities to make risk-informed decisions during design and emergency planning and response, resulting in a stronger and well-prepared power grid.