Agents and islands: Managing a power system before, during, and after transition to the islanded state

This paper presents a fictional scenario describing the effects of a category four hurricane on a metropolitan area, accompanied by a challenge: Describe, and eventually realize, a system able to carry out the necessary power system operations without human participation. We outline the capabilities of an automated system for managing electric power. The overarching task of the automated system is islanding: To separate the metro area's power system from the primary power grid and manage its operation during several hurricane-induced contingencies, with the power system operational throughout. The essential technology needed to support this automation is agents. We address the roles agents play in the transition to the islanded state and in power system operation within the island; features of an appropriate agent substrate; the way the agents are organized; and information exchange among agents, the power system, and human operators.