Integrated coordination of AC power flow controllers and HVDC transmission by a multi-agent system

Due to highly volatile feed-in by renewable energy sources (RES), a large amount of potential controls in future smart grids as well as the striving for gains in efficiency, power system operation becomes increasingly complex. This complexity is a particular challenge for real-time operation as centralized optimizations of the non-linear system are computationally intensive and rely on adequate data sets. The application of distributed control systems as a complement or substitute for certain centralized control decisions offers advantages regarding adaptiveness, robustness and real-time performance. In this paper, the progress on developing a distributed coordination system for power flow control by HVDC links and AC power flow controllers is presented. Currently, the coordination of power flow controllers is performed manually from a control center based on time-consuming centralized calculations. Due to its decentralized structure, the proposed coordination system enables a robust real-time response. This benefits operational security as counteractions can be initiated immediately in case of unforeseen events and enables the allocation of more transmission capacity in congested network areas.