Architectures for Robust Self-Organizing Energy Systems under Information and Control Constraints

TL;DR

This paper explores observer/controller architectures for agent-based Cyber-Physical Energy Systems, focusing on robustness under information, privacy, and control constraints, and evaluates their effectiveness in various configurations.

Contribution

It introduces architecture variants for observer and controller components that account for information and action restrictions in energy systems.

Findings

Different architectures impact system robustness and responsiveness.

Considering access restrictions is crucial for effective self-organization.

Evaluation highlights the importance of architecture design in real-world applications.

Abstract

Applying the concept of controlled self-organization in agent-based Cyber-Physical Energy Systems (CPES) is a promising approach to ensure system robustness. By introducing an observer/controller architecture to the system, this concept allows for self-organization while still enabling intervention when disturbances occur. Thus, it is possible to respond to effects of cyber attacks, a major threat to current energy systems. However, when implementing an observer to monitor the system and a controller to execute actions for controlled self-organization in CPES, it is essential to take into account restrictions on information and actions resulting from the privacy of local distributed energy resources, regulatory constraints, and data exchange requirements. For this reason, this paper presents architecture variants for the observer and controller that take into account restrictions on access to information and limited actions. In addition, it evaluates possible controller actions in various architectures. The results underscore the importance of considering observer/controller architectures when designing agent-based systems to ensure their robustness for real-world applications.