Juan Carlos Olives-Camps

arXiv2026

Small-Signal Stability Oriented Real-Time Operation of Power Systems with a High Penetration of Inverter-Based Resources

This study proposes a control strategy to ensure the safe operation of modern power systems with high penetration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) within an optimal operation framework. The objective is to obtain operating points that satisfy the optimality conditions of a predefined problem while guaranteeing small-signal stability. The methodology consists of two stages. First, an offline analysis of a set of operating points is performed to derive a data-driven regression-based expression that captures a damping-based stability index as a function of the operating conditions. Second, an Online Feedback Optimization (OFO) controller is employed to drive the system toward an optimal operating point while maintaining a secure distance from the instability region. The proposed strategy is evaluated on an academic test case based on a modified version of the IEEE 9-bus system, in which synchronous generators are replaced by IBRs operating under both grid-following and grid-forming control modes. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method and are discussed in detail.

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arXiv2025

High-performance computing enabled contingency analysis for modern power networks

Modern power networks face increasing vulnerability to cascading failures due to high complexity and the growing penetration of intermittent resources, necessitating rigorous security assessment beyond the conventional $N-1$ criterion. Current approaches often struggle to achieve the computational tractability required for exhaustive $N-2$ contingency analysis integrated with complex stability evaluations like small-signal stability. Addressing this computational bottleneck and the limitations of deterministic screening, this paper presents a scalable methodology for the vulnerability assessment of modern power networks, integrating $N-2$ contingency analysis with small-signal stability evaluation. To prioritize critical components, we propose a probabilistic \textbf{Risk Index ($R_i$)} that weights the deterministic \textit{severity} of a contingency (including optimal power flow divergence, islanding, and oscillatory instability) by the \textit{failure frequency} of the involved elements based on reliability data. The proposed framework is implemented using High-Performance Computing (HPC) techniques through the PyCOMPSs parallel programming library, orchestrating optimal power flow simulations (VeraGrid) and small-signal analysis (STAMP) to enable the exhaustive exploration of massive contingency sets. The methodology is validated on the IEEE 118-bus test system, processing more than \num{57000} scenarios to identify components prone to triggering cascading failures. Results demonstrate that the risk-based approach effectively isolates critical assets that deterministic $N-1$ criteria often overlook. This work establishes a replicable and efficient workflow for probabilistic security assessment, suitable for large-scale networks and capable of supporting operator decision-making in near real-time environments.

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