A Multi-Agent Solution to Distribution Systems Restoration

The goal to provide faster and faster restoration after a fault is pushing the technical envelope related to new algorithms. While many approaches use centralized strategies, the concept of multi-agent systems (MAS) is creating a new option related to distributed analyses for restoration. This paper provides details on a MAS that restores a power system after a fault. The development of agents and behaviors of the agents are described, including communication of agents. The MAS is tested on two test systems and facilitates both full and partial restoration, including load prioritization and shedding.