Comprehensive overview of multi-agent systems for controlling smart grids

Abstract

Agents are intelligent entities that act flexibly and autonomously to make wise decisions based on their intelligence and experience. A multi-agent system (MAS) contains multiple intelligent interconnected collaborating agents for solving a problem beyond a single-agent ability. A smart grid combines advanced intelligence systems, control techniques, and sensing methods into an existing utility power network. For controlling smart grids, various control systems with different architectures have already been developed. MASs based control of power system operations has been shown to overcome the limitations of time required for analysis, relaying and protection, transmission switching, communication protocols, and management of plant control. These systems provide an alternative for the fast and accurate power networks control. This paper comprehensively overviews MASs used for the control of smart grids. This is intended to provide a wide spectrum on the status of smart grids, MAS-based control techniques and their implementation for the control of smart grids. Use of MASs to control various aspects of smart grids including management of energy, marketing energy, pricing, scheduling energy, reliability, the security of network, fault handling capability, communication between agents, SG-electrical vehicles, SG-building energy systems, and soft grids have been critically reviewed. More than a hundred publications on the topic of MAS-based control of smart grids are critically examined, classified, and arranged for fast reference.