Abstract

The bidirectional power flow, voltage/frequency dynamics, and reduced fault current observed in microgrids pose significant challenges to the protection of electrical systems. Particularly, the dynamic nature of microgrid-distributed energy generation requires protection schemes to adapt dynamically. Distributed protection strategies are commonly found in the literature, with adaptive protection based on multi-agent systems (MASs) being one of the most promising methods. This solution offers high autonomy, fault tolerance, and robustness against multiple fault types under various topology scenarios. This paper presents a systematic review of the current advances in MAS-based adaptive protection systems for AC microgrids. Furthermore, a discussion on the strategies implemented in MAS-based adaptive protection, the most used development frameworks for designing, developing, and testing MAS-based solutions for AC microgrid protection, and limiting factors for the widespread adoption are presented. Finally, open research problems and future research trends in MAS-based adaptive protection are also presented in this research. © 2024 The Authors