Assessing the comprehensive importance of power grid nodes based on DEA

•Comprehensively evaluate the importance of grid nodes to identify critical nodes.•From both the network topology and the dynamic operating characteristics of the grid to identify critical nodes.•Consider the impact of the grid on the associated social system.•Consider the connectivity of nodes in the system and the support and influence of nodes on the overall topology. The safe and stable operation of the power grid is crucial to guarantee basic human demands and promote sustainable economic and social development. To better maintain the sound operation of the power grid, it is meaningful to analyse node importance and identify critical nodes based on the topology of the grid and its performance under cascading failure scenarios. Based on complex network theory, this paper proposes four node importance assessment metrics from static and dynamic perspectives. It performs a comprehensive importance assessment of power grid nodes based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) technology and then further identifies critical nodes in the system. A case study is conducted to validate the methodology. Results show that the suggested strategy may successfully identify the grid's key nodes with high accuracy and differentiation degree. This study is of great value for formulating reasonable emergency plans and improving power grid resilience.