An optimal decentralized control for voltage control devices by means of a multi-agent system

Increased penetration of photovoltaic (PV) generation is expected in Japan in the near future; thus a new voltage control scheme is required in order to improve the operation of distribution networks. We propose a new voltage control scheme for distribution networks based on a multi-agent system, in which large voltage fluctuations caused by PV generations are effectively regulated by controlling the conventional types of tap-changing controllers. We achieved an optimal control performance by developing an optimal control law that is applicable to decentralized autonomous control. The autonomy is accomplished by using a multi-agent system instead of the centralized control scheme. The proposed method can be applied to general distribution network but effective approximations have been made to achieve high computation efficiency for popular radial networks. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is demonstrated through numerical simulations with successful results.