Patent claim: A system for operating a power grid 100 wherein said system comprisesdecentralized control elements 102 103 adapted to interact with each other in particular by communication anda device in particular a server 101 or a control element 102 103 adapted to o monitor 200 said power grid 100 a control element 102 103 or the interaction between control elements 102 103 in particular the communication between the control elements 102 103 o detect 201 a problem in at least a part of said power grid 100 a control element 102 103 or the interaction between control elements 102 103 in particular a communication breakdown and o force 203 a control element 102 103 affected by the problem in particular the communication breakdown to work autonomously in case a problem is detecteda control element 102 103 for operating a power grid 100 wherein said control element is adapted to control a part of said power grid 100 decentralized based on interaction with at least one other control element 102 103 in particular by communication and to work autonomously upon detection 201 of a problem in the power grid 100 a control element102 103 or the interaction between control elements 102 103 in particular a communication breakdown.

Related passage: Each agent 50 of the EMS is an autonomous cooperative unit that encapsulates application knowledge and is capable of autonomous proactive reactive and social behaviors in relation to the other agents of the EMS to adapt the distributed control system 10 to different tasks and to adjust in response to the occurrence of unforeseen conditions in relation to operation of the energyrelated system 1.Preferably the agents 50 are fault tolerant particularly insofar as they are capable of detecting failures or anomalies that occur in the energyrelated system 1 and even the EMS itself and are capable of isolating those failuresanomalies to prevent those failuresanomalies from propagating to other system components.The agents 50 can also detect faults outside the energyrelated system 1 by analyzing power characteristics.For example faults with connected machines and systems such as a motor or a generator can be detected.The system can detect and change EMS configuration or control to minimize damage or protect critical system functions.The EMS can also receive specific fault messages such as in XML format from intelligent devices connected to the power system.For example an intelligent motor starter solid state power switch or soft start such as a Smart Motor Controller SMC can send power line fault information to the agents 50.Also preferably the agents 50 are proactive and periodically typically asynchronously propose and implement strategies to enhance system performance or to reduce the likelihood that the system will enter undesirable states.Agents further can possess predictive or prognostic capabilities.These permit agents to change their functions or to change their performance based upon the likelihood of a failure of one or more degraded components.For example a controlling agent could elect to operate a degraded machine atspeed and load to permit some other weakened component to retain some limited capability and to preserve some system capacity as may be needed for a future critical event.