Phasor Data Concentrator Functionalities to Support a Multi-Agent Control System in Active Distribution Networks

One of the goals of the Smart Grid paradigm is to fulfil consumers' demands and, at the same time, avoiding network contingencies and infrastructure overloads. In this scenario, the management of active demand based on Multi-Agent System (MAS), thanks to its flexibility and autonomy, could allow increasing the energy efficiency and reducing the cost of energy. Nevertheless, the Agents can define an effective strategy only if they are supported by a suitable measurement system providing accurate information about the state of the network (e.g. voltage profile). In this context, the paper presents a management proposal exploiting the synergy between the functionalities implemented in the Phasor Data Concentrator (PDC) specific for distribution grids and the MAS strategy to meet the load needs and to improve the voltage control in modern distribution networks.