Multi-Agent Control for the Transportation Networks of the Future

Multi-Agent Control for the Transportation Networks of the Future

Negenborn, R.R.

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Delft Center for Systems and Control

2006-07-01

When going from Delft to Rotterdam by train, or when driving over the highway, or biking through the Dutch landscape, did you ever look up and wonder about the network of power lines that span our country? The electricity network, globally on of the largest structures created by mankind, is a complex system consisting of thousands of power transmission lines, power generation stations, transformer substations, and consumption points. Day-in day-out electricity is transmitted from one point to another to enable our modern life. Can you imagine living a whole day with no electricity at all? To ensure efficient and secure operation of power networks, network operators adjust controls in the network to meet certain control objectives. These controls consist of adjusting power generation, changing transformer taps, switching off consumption, etc. Control objectives typically consist of maintaining values of network variables like voltages and frequency at or close to pre-specified values. The values of these network variables can be manipulated by changing the flows of power over the network. Network operators change the flow of power over the network by using the controls available. Although controlling the flows has always been a challenging task, the ever growing increase of energy consumption, the changes in the power market, and the increasing appearance of small scale, so-called embedded generation, make the control of power networks in the future become even more challenging.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:085b046a-36d4-4e08-b335-ee41dcac1dd0

Delft University of Technology

Maxwell : Periodiek der Electrotechnische Vereeniging, 9 (4), 2006

Institutional Repository

journal article

(c) 2006 Negenborn, R.R.