Harnessing Implicit Cooperation: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach Towards Decentralized Local Energy Markets

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2602.16062v1
• Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2026 22:22:32 GMT
• Title: Harnessing Implicit Cooperation: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach Towards Decentralized Local Energy Markets
• Authors: Nelson Salazar-Pena, Alejandra Tabares, Andres Gonzalez-Mancera,
• Abstract summary: Decentralized agents can approximate optimal coordination in local energy markets without explicit peer-to-peer communication.<n>Stigmergic signaling provides sufficient context for complex grid coordination, offering a robust, privacy-preserving alternative to expensive centralized communication infrastructure.
• Score: 41.99844472131922
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: This paper proposes implicit cooperation, a framework enabling decentralized agents to approximate optimal coordination in local energy markets without explicit peer-to-peer communication. We formulate the problem as a decentralized partially observable Markov decision problem that is solved through a multi-agent reinforcement learning task in which agents use stigmergic signals (key performance indicators at the system level) to infer and react to global states. Through a 3x3 factorial design on an IEEE 34-node topology, we evaluated three training paradigms (CTCE, CTDE, DTDE) and three algorithms (PPO, APPO, SAC). Results identify APPO-DTDE as the optimal configuration, achieving a coordination score of 91.7% relative to the theoretical centralized benchmark (CTCE). However, a critical trade-off emerges between efficiency and stability: while the centralized benchmark maximizes allocative efficiency with a peer-to-peer trade ratio of 0.6, the fully decentralized approach (DTDE) demonstrates superior physical stability. Specifically, DTDE reduces the variance of grid balance by 31% compared to hybrid architectures, establishing a highly predictable, import-biased load profile that simplifies grid regulation. Furthermore, topological analysis reveals emergent spatial clustering, where decentralized agents self-organize into stable trading communities to minimize congestion penalties. While SAC excelled in hybrid settings, it failed in decentralized environments due to entropy-driven instability. This research proves that stigmergic signaling provides sufficient context for complex grid coordination, offering a robust, privacy-preserving alternative to expensive centralized communication infrastructure.

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