Impact of Network Topology on the Stability of DC Microgrids

Abstract: We probe the stability of Watts-Strogatz DC microgrids, in which droop-controlled producers and constant power load consumers are homogeneously distributed and obey Kirchhoff's circuit laws. The concept of survivability is employed to evaluate the system's response to Dirac delta voltage perturbations at single nodes. A fixed point analysis of the power grid model yields that there is only one relevant attractor. Using a set of simulations with random networks we investigate correlations between survivability and three topological network measures: the share of producers in the network and the degree and the average neighbour degree of the perturbed node. Depending on the imposed voltage and current limits, the stability is optimized for low node degrees or a specific share of producers. Based on our findings, we provide an insight into the local dynamics of the perturbed system and derive explicit guidelines for the design of resilient DC power grids.