Electric utility distribution analysis for extreme winds

The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the performance of an urban power delivery system during four winter storms and to compare the results with those provided in the literature for other systems subjected to extreme wind events such as hurricanes (Davidson et al., 2003. Electric power distribution system performance in Carolina hurricanes. Nat. Hazards Rev. February, pp. 36–45) and the French 1999 winter storms (Le Du, M., Rassineux, B., Cochet, P., 2002. The French Power Network Facing the 1999 Storms. Power Systems and Communication Infrastructures for the Future: Proceedings of the CRIS Conference, Beijing, September). A combined statistical–geographic information systems approach is used. Suggestions regarding the development of improved design criteria are provided.