Autonomous service-restoration in smart distribution grids using multi-agent systems

Future active electric distribution grids, commonly referred to as Smart Grids (SG), impose new requirements on fault tolerance and service availability. The system must be able to meets its designed objectives to the greatest possible extent without human guidance. Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are generally considered a promising way for handling a large number of different interconnected Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and their services in the context of SGs, as they do not require an explicit model of the overall system behaviour. This paper describes a highly distributed MAS approach for autonomous service restoration that does not rely on a single facilitator device, hence avoiding single-points-of-failure. The design is exemplified by a test case describing an island forming and recombination situation showing the negotiation activities between the agents.