Optimising decentralised grid markets through group selection

Automatic coordination mechanisms for the grid are required due to the increasing complexity that is exhibited in large-scale distributed systems. Decentralised economic models are being considered as scalable coordination mechanisms for the management of service allocations to clients. However, decentralisation incorporates further dynamicity and unpredictability into the system. Introducing higher levels of adaptation and learning in the coordination protocols helps cope with complexity. We provide a solution based on a self-organised, emergent mechanism that evolves grid market participants through a group selection process. Dynamic congregations organise agents into optimised market segments, maximising utility and thereby improving system-wide performance. We provide a system model and evaluation by simulating the group selection mechanism. We further provide a prototype that shows the practical feasibility of the approach.