Measuring smart grid resilience: methods, challenges and opportunities

Abstract

With growing concerns related to attacks on the cyber and physical assets associated with the power grid along with the need to mitigate impact of natural disasters, resilience has become a critical and desirable characteristic. There have been numerous efforts to define, measure and analyse resilience of smart grids. In this paper, a detailed review and comparative analysis of qualitative frameworks as well as quantitative metrics for studying resilience are provided. The desirable properties of a resilience metric are highlighted and challenges associated with formulating, developing and calculating such a metric in practical scenarios are discussed. Future research avenues in the area of developing a holistic framework for quantifying resilience are summarized with a focus on challenges related to multi-modal cyber/physical attacks, big data related issues and interdependence of critical infrastructures.