Publication Date: 2026
IET Generation, Transmission and Distribution (17518687)20(1)
Parallel restoration is a common method to bring the power grid back online after a blackout. The initial step in this process involves sectionalizing the system into multiple subsystems to have an efficient restoration. In this regard, this paper proposes a new method. First, the generators are grouped so as to simultaneously minimize the differences in total maximum generation capacity among the subsystems and the unavailable energy capacity (UEC). Dijkstra's algorithm is then applied to calculate the shortest paths between generators. This helps in the identification of the bus groupings within the system. To determine tie lines, the status of other buses is assessed, and all possible solutions satisfying network constraints are identified. Sectionalizing is carried out by six key criteria: energy not supplied (ENS), maximum standing phase angle (SPA) among all subsystems, restoration time, subsystem recovery time balance index (H index), quality index (Q index), and power exchange among subsystems. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), method which is a common approach for ranking and prioritizing criteria is used for the first time to determine the sectionalizing strategy based on these criteria. This paper considers time-varying load conditions and solves the sectionalizing problem independently for each hour of the day. Also, results are obtained and compared for two scenarios: with and without the integration of renewable energy sources. The New England 39-bus power system is used to validate the proposed method, in which the results demonstrate its superiority performance for network restoration in comparison with other methods. © 2026 The Author(s). IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Institution of Engineering and Technology.
