Spectral analysis of a real power network. (1st January 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fioriti, Vincenzo; Sforna, Marino; D'Agostino, Gregorio
• Is Part Of: International journal of critical infrastructures. Volume 8:Number 4(2012)
• Page Start: 354
• Page End: 367
• Publication Date: 2012-01-01
• Subjects: spectral analysis -- power network -- synchronisation -- eigenvalue -- cascading failures -- complex networks; Infrastructure (Economics) -- Security measures -- Periodicals; Risk assessment -- Periodicals; Emergency management -- Periodicals; 363.05
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1475-3219

Abstract

We present a spectral analysis of a significant part of the Italian bulk power system. Spectral analysis applied to graphs is not a new tool, but analyses of the real world, especially of technological networks, currently are lacking. We show the spectral pattern of a high voltage power network, calculate the ratio between the smallest and largest non-zero Laplacian eigenvalue to check its synchronisability and calculate the epidemics threshold of a real HV power grid. We indicate the trade-off between sinchronisability and epidemic threshold as a major network design problem. Moreover, following Restrepo, Ott, Hunt, we propose the usage of the maximum eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix to assess a metric for the inter-dependency in the technological networks.