Capacity management within a multi-agent market-based active distribution network

Normal operation of an active distribution network (ADN) requires simultaneous optimization of different objectives of the various involved actors. This results in a multi-objective optimization problem which has not yet been treated completely. This paper considers a particular relationship between commercial and technical coordination, involving capacity management of the distribution network. First, the market-based ADN, its actors and their objectives are described. An agent-based approach is desirable to handle the complexity of this ADN. Then, several technical issues for integrating capacity management within a multi-agent market-based ADN are pointed out. After that, the developed agent architecture and coordination mechanism are further elaborated upon, along with a formulation of the multi-objective optimization problem. Finally, a decentralized approach for integrating capacity management is introduced and demonstrated.