Robustness of the European power grids under intentional attack

TL;DR

This paper investigates the vulnerability of the European power grid to targeted node removals, analyzing how minimal failures can lead to large-scale blackouts through a combination of theoretical and empirical methods.

Contribution

It introduces a mean field analytical approach to assess grid fragility under attacks and correlates deviations with reliability measures, providing new insights into network robustness.

Findings

Identifies critical nodes whose removal significantly increases fragility.

Shows deviations from percolation theory predictions in real grid data.

Correlates non-topological reliability measures with attack-induced failures.

Abstract

The power grid defines one of the most important technological networks of our times and sustains our complex society. It has evolved for more than a century into an extremely huge and seemingly robust and well understood system. But it becomes extremely fragile as well, when unexpected, usually minimal, failures turn into unknown dynamical behaviours leading, for example, to sudden and massive blackouts. Here we explore the fragility of the European power grid under the effect of selective node removal. A mean field analysis of fragility against attacks is presented together with the observed patterns. Deviations from the theoretical conditions for network percolation (and fragmentation) under attacks are analysed and correlated with non topological reliability measures.