Energy and Power Engineering, 2013, 5, 1330-1336
doi:10.4236/epe.2013.54B252 Published Online July 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/epe)
A Multi-Agent Framework for Operation of a Smart Grid
Ruchi Gupta1, Deependra Kumar Jha1, Vinod Kumar Yadav1, Sanjeev Kumar2
1School of Electrical, Communication and Electronics Engineering, Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh, India
2School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Department of Mathematics, Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh, India
Email: ruchibsr@rediffmail.com
Received March, 2013
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the operation of a Multi-agent system (MAS) for the control of a smart grid. The proposed Mul-
ti-agent system consists of seven types of agents: Single Smart Grid Controller (SGC), Load Agents (LAGs), a Wind
Turbine Agent (WTAG), Photo-Voltaic Agents (PVAGs), a Micro-Hydro Turbine Agent (MHTAG), Diesel Agents
(DGAGs) and a Battery Agent (BAG). In a smart grid LAGs act as consumers or buyers, WTAG, PVAGs, MHTAG &
DGAGs acts as producers or sellers and BAG act as producer/consumer or seller/buyer. The paper demonstrates the use
of a Multi-agent system to control the smart grid in a simulated environment. In order to validate the performance of the
proposed system, it has been applied to a simple model system with different time zone i.e. day time and night time and
when power is available from the grid and when there is power shedding. Simulation results show that the proposed
Multi-agent system can perform the operation of the smart grid efficiently.
Keywords: Multi-agent System; Smart Grid; Micro-grid; Distributed Generation; Renewable Energy
1. Introduction
The security and resiliency of electric power supply to
serve critical facilities are of high importance in today’s
world. In India, with the increasing complexity of power
grids, growing demand and growing concerns for envi-
ronment accentuate the leap towards something ‘smarter’.
Instead of building large electric power grids and high
capacity transmission lines an intelligent approach is
essential for transforming the existing power grid to a
‘smarter grid’ widely referred as ‘smart grid’. Smart grid
technologies have the potential to transform the existing
grids to more efficient, self healing, reliable, safer and
less constrained grids [1].
A smart micro-grid can be defined as a low voltage
distribution network with distributed energy resource
(DER) units, such as the distributed generation (DG)
units and distributed storage (DS) units and loads. The
DG units utilize Diesel Engines, Micro turbines, Fuel Cells,
Photovoltaic (PV) panels, small wind turbines, and com-
bined heat and power (CHP) systems. The capacity of the
DG sources varies from few kW to 1-2 MW. The DS
units could be flywheels, energy capacitors and batteries.
The micro-grid can be made smarter by integrating
advanced sensing technologies, control methods and
communication techniques [1-3]. Smart grids can benefit
customers through providing uninterruptible power, en-
hancing local reliability, reducing transmission loss, and
supporting local voltage and frequency.
As the DER units typically operate at a distribution
voltage level and geographically close to loads, smart
micro-grids are developed to interconnect the energy
sources and loads in a relatively small area, such as a
suburban community, a university or school, a commer-
cial area, and an industrial site. Besides the environ-
mental benefit of using more renewable energy sources, a
smart grid can either be interconnected to the main grid
as a single aggregated load (or generator) or in case of
external faults or periods of emergency, it has the capa-
bility to separate, or island, from the main grid and oper-
ate independently, within limits.
Significant research works have been carried out on
operation and control of smart grid. Current trends to
control and monitor the operation of electrical power
systems are however moving towards the use of an
automated agent technology, known as multi-agent sys-
tem. In recent years, multi-agent based approach is pro-
posed/adopted to provide intelligent energy control and
management systems in smart grids. Multi-agent systems
have become the focus of intense research in European
countries [4, 5].
In India, a lot is yet to be done towards making power
grids smarter and reliable, capable of taking self correct-
ing decisions for optimal scheduling of generation re-
sources. In this paper the operation of a multi-agent sys-
tem for the control of a smart grid is described in an In-
dian scenario.
Present power scenario of India is described in Section
II. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section
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