Multi-Agent Systems for Power Engineering Applications—Part II: Technologies, Standards, and Tools for Building Multi-agent Systems

TLDR

The paper follows a two‑part series by the IEEE Power Engineering Society MAS Working Group that reviews the potential value, core concepts, and applications of multi‑agent systems in power engineering and identifies technical challenges for wider adoption. Part II examines engineering decisions for deploying MAS in the power and energy sector, providing guidance on standards, tools, technologies, and design practices to facilitate implementation. It also addresses interoperability issues among heterogeneous MAS and proposes strategies to overcome them.

Abstract

This is the second part of a two-part paper that has arisen from the work of the IEEE Power Engineering Society's Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) Working Group. Part I of this paper examined the potential value of MAS technology to the power industry, described fundamental concepts and approaches within the field of multi-agent systems that are appropriate to power engineering applications, and presented a comprehensive review of the power engineering applications for which MAS are being investigated. It also defined the technical issues which must be addressed in order to accelerate and facilitate the uptake of the technology within the power and energy sector. Part II of this paper explores the decisions inherent in engineering multi-agent systems for applications in the power and energy sector and offers guidance and recommendations on how MAS can be designed and implemented. Given the significant and growing interest in this field, it is imperative that the power engineering community considers the standards, tools, supporting technologies, and design methodologies available to those wishing to implement a MAS solution for a power engineering problem. This paper describes the various options available and makes recommendations on best practice. It also describes the problem of interoperability between different multi-agent systems and proposes how this may be tackled.