Building a test platform for agents in power system control: Experience from SYSLAB

A tighter integration of information and communication technologies into power grids and a gradual decentralization of control are widely regarded as key responses to the transformation of power systems, even though many different approaches are investigated to achieve this. Lack of system-level simulation tools and the high risk of tests on a real-world power grid create a need for small, experimental grids on which new control concepts can be safely tested and demonstrated. In order to accommodate a wide range of possible control structures, the controller platform on such grids needs to be as flexible as possible. Software agents promise to be a programming paradigm in support of flexible, distributed applications. This paper describes their application in SYSLAB, an experimental facility for distributed power systems, and discusses experience gained in the implementation process.