Comillas Pontifical University. Madrid (Spain)
December 15th, 2025
Summary:
In the context of the transformation of conventional power systems towards systems dominated by renewable energy, featuring distributed generation based on power electronics, the primary objective of this thesis is to model, evaluate, and propose decentralised multi-agent control strategies for the operation of microgrids with 100% electronic generation. Given that traditional centralised control strategies present bottlenecks and single points of failure as the number of distributed generators increases, this thesis focuses on modelling and proposing decentralised multi-agent control strategies, where the agents are the distributed generators within the microgrid. The aim is to validate structures where agents make decisions based on local information and data shared with neighbours, thereby eliminating the need for a central coordinator, for operations in both islanded and grid-connected modes. This work presents several technical contributions: it proposes an algorithm for model simplification by evaluating the relevance of the state variables in the system response, develops an open-source power system simulation tool (VFlexP), and designs fully decentralised control schemes ranging from grid resynchronisation to economic dispatch and “black start” capabilities. A critical conclusion of the study is the vital importance of modelling and analysing communication delays, as they significantly affect the system stability. The thesis concludes that, while centralised control remains the current norm, the decentralised approach is viable and essential for the future scalability of renewable energy resources through distributed generation.
Spanish layman's summary:
Esta tesis propone y analiza varios algoritmos de control descentralizados para microrredes con generación 100 % electrónica. Presenta la herramienta VFlexP y valida algoritmos sin coordinación central, destacando que los retardos de comunicación son críticos para la estabilidad del sistema.
English layman's summary:
This thesis proposes and analyses several decentralised multi-agent control algorithms for microgrids with 100% electronic generation. It introduces the VFlexP tool and validates algorithms without central coordination, highlighting that communication delays are critical for system stability.
Descriptors: Electricity applications, Transmission and distribution, Direct current power utilization
Keywords: Decentralised control; Consensus control; Multi-agent systems; State-relevance coefficient; Communication delay
Citation:
A. Tomás-Martín, "Multi-agent control strategies for the islanded and grid-connected operation of microgrids with 100% electronic generation", PhD. dissertation, Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid, Spain, 2025.
