Multi-agent systems for the dependability and safety of microgrids

The electrical networks are very complex systems, presently in full evolution. With the increasing penetration and apportionment over large areas of the renewable energies, the centralized nature of the power production evolves toward a more distributed form. In this context, the interest of the microgrids, as subcomponents of the main grid, rises especially by the specific services that they can provide. To ensure the stability and the dependability of a microgrid is a difficult task particularly in islanded mode. The microgrid is a mix of different types of elements and its structure may evolve. The multi-agents systems technique, with its distributed and adaptive character, can be an interesting tool for the control of each microgrid component and for the real time decision making related to the microgrid management. The paper starts with a presentation of microgrids and their specific issues, and follows with some basic concepts on multi-agents systems. Then, a review of the proposed techniques and algorithms that implies multi-agents systems in microgrids management is presented, focusing on the safety and the dependability in microgrids.