An Effort-Based Reward Approach for Allocating Load Shedding Amount in Networked Microgrids Using Multiagent System

An effort-based reward approach is proposed in this article for the allocation of load shedding amount in interconnected microgrids. In this article, effort is defined as the relative contribution of a microgrid to the network with respect to its capacity. In contrast to the absolute contribution-based reward methods, where smaller microgrids are discriminated, the proposed effort-based reward method provides a fair chance for microgrids of all sizes. Historic data of efforts of each microgrid are recorded and an index (effort index) is formulated. The effort index is used as a measure to allocate load shedding to microgrids during emergencies, where microgrids with higher effort indices receive lesser load shedding and vice versa. Different weights are defined for efforts of microgrids depending on the operation mode of the network due to the difference in the importance of power sharing in each mode. In addition, a reward compensation algorithm is devised to mitigate gaining of benefits for longer times while making lesser contributions. The proposed method is realized by using a multiagent system in java agent development framework (JADE) via agent communication language messages. The performance of the proposed method is compared with existing load shedding allocation algorithms, i.e., proportional method, bankruptcy Talmud rule, and absolute contribution-based reward methods.