Worst-Case Sensitivity of DC Optimal Power Flow Problems

In this paper we consider the problem of analyzing the effect a change in the load vector can have on the optimal power generation in a DC power flow model. The methodology is based upon the recently introduced concept of the OPF operator. It is shown that for general network topologies computing the worst-case sensitivities is computationally intractable. However, we show that certain problems involving the OPF operator can be equivalently converted to a graphical discrete optimization problem. Using the discrete formulation, we provide a decomposition algorithm that reduces the computational cost of computing the worst-case sensitivity. A 27-bus numerical example is used to illustrate our results.