The implications of structural stability in power systems

The existence of chaotic dynamics in nature is now known to be widespread. The question “how does this concept affect power systems?” then appears. In order to answer this question, the concepts of structural stability and bifurcation are introduced. After a brief introduction to the theory of dynamical systems (TDS), a few examples are studied. The industrial software packages PSS/E and EUROSTAG are used to show how the stability can be evaluated. The approach might provide a reassessment of the actual stability procedures used by utilities. This theory provides a new concept for the stability of a power system: the structural stability. This concept accommodates better the requirements for dealing with a nonlinear dynamic system. Structural stability helps to evaluate those locations in the state-space where the power system properties could change suddenly (e.g. lose its stability). These locations are called bifurcation points