Robustness analysis of power grids against cascading failures based on a multi-objective algorithm

In the study of power grid security, the cascading failure process has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The robustness of a power grid against cascading failure can be evaluated from both structural and functional perspective. In most previous studies, these two types of robustness were treated separately in spite of the fact that both of them are considered equally important in many scenarios. In our study, we utilize multi-objective optimization to take both aspects of the system robustness against cascading failure into consideration. Based on NSGA-II, we develop an effective attack strategy to localize the critical nodes in the power grids. The variety of our solution is preserved, enabling flexible choices by decision makers. Simulations on a realistic power grid dataset demonstrate the capability of our strategy in serving as a guideline for launching attacks in power grids, for it can damage the power grid to the greatest extent in terms of both metrics.