Performance evaluation of a subnetwork solution for contingency selection

The authors examine the computational efficiency of subnetwork solutions. A statistical approach is used to evaluate the performance of the subnetwork solution on several systems. The authors suggest that the efficiency of the subnetwork solution as compared to the full solution depends on the contingency type and the system size. For convenience, the sparsity-oriented subnetwork solution with fast forward and fast back (FF/FB) substitution of W.F. Tinney et al. (1985) is referred to as the subnetwork solution, while the conventional power flow solution with the full forward and back substitution is referred to as the direct solution. A brief description of the evaluation procedure is presented, followed with the evaluation results obtained from two large power systems. Possible application of the performance evaluation results is briefly discussed.>