{"paper_id":"4956336c-2d09-4400-9b9d-c1d8a8914f00","body_text":"Unraveling the Network Characteristics of the Electric Distribution Network in Dense Urban Regions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Unraveling the Network Characteristics of the Electric Distribution Network in Dense Urban Regions Kirn Zafar, Ahmed Mohamed This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper aims to explore the network characteristics of distribution grids in dense urban regions and to investigate whether Complex Network Theory can contribute to the planning or operation of such grids. The topology of the electric power distribution network in dense cities, such as New York City (NYC), features a combination of mesh and hybrid (radial + mesh) configurations. Our analysis indicates that the distribution grid structure in dense urban regions differs substantially from that in suburban or rural areas. The degree distribution of real NYC networks cannot be fit by any single degree distribution. Using concepts or indices derived from complex network theory, applied to the network topology, to plan or operate the distribution grid in dense urban regions is not feasible, as the topology itself does not capture power-flow effects and ignores practical operational constraints. Therefore, a corresponding influence graph (IG) was developed to capture both the network topology and its operational constraints. For instance, an IG was developed to capture the potential propagation of failures and overloading initiated by an initial disconnection of a feeder. Unlike complex network characterization that is based solely on the network topology, the complex network characteristics of the IG were found to carry meaningful information. The in-degree distribution of the IG followed a Weibull distribution. Moreover, centrality measures have been used to identify the most influential components—those whose malfunction can exacerbate the propagation of cascaded failures. To further demonstrate the use of IGs, the placement of battery energy storage system (BESS) has been demonstrated using centrality measures. Specifically, the analysis shows that the betweenness centrality of the IG can be used as an effective measure to determine optimal BESS locations. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing Physical sciences/Physics Active distribution network battery energy storage system (BESS) betweenness centrality cascaded failures centrality measures complex network theory contingency dense urban area influence graph propagation of failures topological analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 07 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 27 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 18 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 18 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 16 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 13 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-9349910\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":629202999,\"identity\":\"375c1580-c777-4051-98b8-dfe70a0d270f\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Kirn Zafar\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"City College of New York\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Kirn\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Zafar\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":629203004,\"identity\":\"2fe25666-31ad-4ac9-81d1-dc211f14b436\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Ahmed Mohamed\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNhDB2I8ixkOMlpkNJGvZcIBYLfzTDh978DPHRnbz8cPPHvMw2CVul0hgfPC2DbcWidtp6Ya929KMt51JMzfmYUhO3DkjgdlwLh4tDLdzzCR4tx1O3HaDh02ah+FA4oYbCWzSvHi0yAO1SP7d9j9x8wyEFvbf+LQYALVI824DqpRAsoUZnxbD22lp0rLbko1nnEkzk5xjkGy84czDZsk553BrkbudfEzy7TY72f72w88k3lTYyW44nnzww5syPN5HBkw8BkBSILGBSPVAwPgDRPIfIF7HKBgFo2AUjAgAAFxTUnJmzEJbAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"City College of New York\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Ahmed\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Mohamed\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2026-04-08 00:23:34\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":107869787,\"identity\":\"e60fae1b-6d3c-49e7-9e62-b33b4b6eafa0\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-04-27 07:38:09\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":2706412,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"UnravelingtheNetworkCharacteristicsoftheElectricDistributionNetworkinDenseUrbanRegions.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9349910/v1_covered_315dfc35-82e3-435f-b50c-c1eb2b7e9644.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"No competing interests reported.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Unraveling the Network Characteristics of the Electric Distribution Network in Dense Urban Regions\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"scientific-reports\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"scirep\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Scientific Reports\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"stoa\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Scientific Reports\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true},\"keywords\":\"Active distribution network, battery energy storage system (BESS), betweenness centrality, cascaded failures, centrality measures, complex network theory, contingency, dense urban area, influence graph, propagation of failures, topological analysis\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eThis paper aims to explore the network characteristics of distribution grids in dense urban regions and to investigate whether Complex Network Theory can contribute to the planning or operation of such grids. The topology of the electric power distribution network in dense cities, such as New York City (NYC), features a combination of mesh and hybrid (radial + mesh) configurations. Our analysis indicates that the distribution grid structure in dense urban regions differs substantially from that in suburban or rural areas. The degree distribution of real NYC networks cannot be fit by any single degree distribution. Using concepts or indices derived from complex network theory, applied to the network topology, to plan or operate the distribution grid in dense urban regions is not feasible, as the topology itself does not capture power-flow effects and ignores practical operational constraints. Therefore, a corresponding influence graph (IG) was developed to capture both the network topology and its operational constraints. For instance, an IG was developed to capture the potential propagation of failures and overloading initiated by an initial disconnection of a feeder. Unlike complex network characterization that is based solely on the network topology, the complex network characteristics of the IG were found to carry meaningful information. The in-degree distribution of the IG followed a Weibull distribution. Moreover, centrality measures have been used to identify the most influential components—those whose malfunction can exacerbate the propagation of cascaded failures. To further demonstrate the use of IGs, the placement of battery energy storage system (BESS) has been demonstrated using centrality measures. Specifically, the analysis shows that the betweenness centrality of the IG can be used as an effective measure to determine optimal BESS locations.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Unraveling the Network Characteristics of the Electric Distribution Network in Dense Urban Regions\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2026-04-26 17:01:47\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349910/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0},{\"type\":\"decision\",\"content\":\"Revision requested\",\"date\":\"2026-05-07T19:00:28+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"152879331071694359235959382658430331904\",\"date\":\"2026-04-27T08:14:18+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-27T07:41:57+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"308156719658659570419912874093740225845\",\"date\":\"2026-04-24T19:57:38+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-24T14:17:21+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"256123066876008491418541006592995558678\",\"date\":\"2026-04-19T09:48:44+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"191828066436647079583250834483853341195\",\"date\":\"2026-04-18T21:34:04+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewersInvited\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-18T21:29:37+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorAssigned\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-18T20:47:58+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorInvited\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-16T17:31:01+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"checksComplete\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-13T19:41:19+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"submitted\",\"content\":\"Scientific Reports\",\"date\":\"2026-04-13T16:31:57+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"scientific-reports\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"scirep\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Scientific Reports\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"stoa\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Scientific Reports\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"ebc1c458-cc3a-4eb9-8e4f-32f100523c28\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"April 26th, 2026\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"decision\",\"content\":\"Revision requested\",\"date\":\"2026-05-07T19:00:28+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"in-revision\",\"subjectAreas\":[{\"id\":66975953,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Engineering\"},{\"id\":66975954,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing\"},{\"id\":66975955,\"name\":\"Physical sciences/Physics\"}],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-05-07T19:08:51+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2026-04-26 17:01:47\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-9349910\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-9349910\",\"identity\":\"rs-9349910\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}