Research Article
Optimized Load Shedding for Voltage Resilience in Ethiopia's Power Grid
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 1, February 2026
Pages:
1-13
Received:
21 December 2025
Accepted:
4 January 2026
Published:
26 January 2026
Abstract: This study deals with the essential operational challenges of voltage instability in the Northwest Ethiopian transmission network (NETN), which is a rapidly growing energy demand. An intelligent voltage load-shedding framework, Particle Swarm Optimization, was used for the multi-objective function under contingency scenarios. The proposed method, tested on NETN, comprising 15 buses, 15 lines, two generators, and three external grids, was used to analyze the grid behavior under significant load escalation (50% and 75% increase). The results indicated severe voltage drops at critical buses, notably Metema and Gondar (Metema’s voltage declined from 0.978 p.u. to 0.8638 p.u. at 75% overload). The proposed algorithm combines voltage sensitivity indices with dynamic load-shedding logic to determine the exact place & magnitude of real power changes. PSO-based optimization simultaneously minimizes active power curtailment while maximizing voltage profile recovery. Upon activation, the strategy restored bus voltages to secure levels (Metema up to 0.9538 p.u.) with precise bus-specific shedding of real power. This method effectively and rapidly transitions the system from an emergency to a normal state with minimal load loss. In contrast to traditional approaches, this comprehensive method explores feasibility in near real-time and guarantees system-wide coordination, providing a cost-effective solution for enhancing reliability in developing power systems across various uncertainty and stress conditions. These findings provide an innovative and practical foundation for enhancing the voltage stability.
Abstract: This study deals with the essential operational challenges of voltage instability in the Northwest Ethiopian transmission network (NETN), which is a rapidly growing energy demand. An intelligent voltage load-shedding framework, Particle Swarm Optimization, was used for the multi-objective function under contingency scenarios. The proposed method, t...
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Research Article
Strategic Rationale for the Interconnection of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico Electricity Markets Through HVDC: Positioning the Dominican Republic as a Regional Generation Hub
Francisco Nunez-Ramirez*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 1, February 2026
Pages:
14-19
Received:
6 February 2026
Accepted:
14 February 2026
Published:
26 February 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.epes.20261501.12
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Abstract: Island power systems are inherently characterized by high fuel import dependency, limited generation diversity, constrained economies of scale, and elevated vulnerability to extreme weather events, resulting in higher system costs and reduced operational resilience. This paper presents a technical and strategic assessment of a proposed high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine interconnection between the Dominican Republic (DR) and Puerto Rico (PR) across the Mona Passage. The study evaluates comparative system characteristics including installed capacity, peak demand, renewable penetration, infrastructure constraints, and long-term demand projections. While Puerto Rico operates a mature but spatially constrained grid with limited demand growth and aging infrastructure, the Dominican Republic exhibits sustained load growth, greater siting flexibility, and expanding generation capacity with increasing renewable integration. The analysis demonstrates that the net economic and reliability benefits of the interconnection are maximized when incremental firm and renewable-supporting generation is developed in the Dominican Republic and transmitted to Puerto Rico via a controllable HVDC link. The HVDC configuration enables asynchronous grid coupling, bidirectional dispatchable power exchange, improved stability margins, reserve sharing, and enhanced system adequacy. Results indicate that coordinated generation–transmission planning under this architecture reduces total system costs, supports higher renewable penetration, and strengthens resilience under extreme-event contingencies. The proposed DR–PR HVDC interconnection constitutes a technically feasible and economically justified platform for regional power system optimization and Caribbean electricity market integration.
Abstract: Island power systems are inherently characterized by high fuel import dependency, limited generation diversity, constrained economies of scale, and elevated vulnerability to extreme weather events, resulting in higher system costs and reduced operational resilience. This paper presents a technical and strategic assessment of a proposed high-voltage...
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